F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Grateful For Significant Performance Upgrade "Over The Last Two Years"

The W14 is one level up.

Lewis Hamilton said that the revised floor in Austin is one of the first Formula 1 upgrades on his W14 F1 car in two years where he "actually" felt a significant difference in performance. 

The 38-year-old Mercedes driver looked on form in Austin as he secured an encouraging third place in qualifying for the United States Grand Prix, behind Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.

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While he is unsure if the new floor is a "signifier" for next year, it has helped unlock a level of performance that has never come from any of Mercedes' upgrades in the past. He said:

“I don't know really if it's a signifier of anything for next year but, as we continue to experiment, we get more and more knowledge of where we're going, and where we are routing the flow of the car.

"The floor is not a huge amount different. There's always hype with someone's upgrade but the rest of the car is exactly the same. And there's lots and lots of areas in which we can improve.

"But this is an improvement. This is one of the first upgrades that I've actually felt over the last two years. So that's a positive, and we just need two or three times of this step to put us in super competitive mode, which I believe the guys can do.”

He added that the upgrades were courtesy of the efforts the squad has put into the W14 car back at the Brackley factory. He continued:

"I’m really grateful for the improvements that the team have made with the car. 

"Everyone's worked so hard to bring some upgrades and, for us to be this close to McLaren and Ferrari and even the Red Bulls, I think it's a showing of just how hard everyone's worked.”

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However, despite the feel-good factor that his car has begun to offer him, Hamilton said that it would be too soon to judge how it would do during the Grand Prix against rival teams. He concluded:

“Too early to say.

"None of us have done any long running, so I have no idea.

"Maybe with the Red Bull not in the top three, maybe that makes it a better closer battle because they're often quite a bit ahead and just disappear into the distance.

"So hopefully, the three of us can have a tight battle.”