Mercedes’ struggles continue this season after a disappointing end to their weekend in France. Despite their impressive track record in Le Castellet, Red Bull extended their advantage in both championships at the checkered flag. In addition, Max Verstappen extended his lead on Lewis Hamilton in the driver’s championship to 12 points.

After a difficult outing, ending in a P2 finish, Hamilton mentioned what Mercedes need to do in the post-race interview.

Lewis Hamilton believes Mercedes “definitely need to dig deep” after P2 finish

Hamilton started the race well, forcing Verstappen to run wide in the opening lap to take the lead. However, a piece of strategic brilliance from Red Bull outdid Mercedes in Le Castellet.

Verstappen pitted for a fresh set of medium tires in Lap 32, which caught Mercedes off-guard. Despite strong resistance, Hamilton conceded the race lead to the Dutchman in the penultimate lap of the race.

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In addition, Verstappen secured the fastest lap of the race, meaning he took 26 points from a track where Mercedes are often dominant.

After the race, Hamilton believes the Silver Arrows need to dig deep and understand where they are losing out to Red Bull. The Briton said, “We’ve got to find some pace, that’s for sure.

“Most of the time we lost today was on the straights. So, we’ve got to definitely dig deep, try to figure out what that is whether it’s power or drag. But, we’ve still got a good package.”

Hamilton: Red Bull were too quick on the straights

The 36-year-old admitted pitting after Verstappen’s second pit stop wouldn’t have helped him much since Red Bull were too quick on the straights.

He said, “He was already quite far ahead, so the only option I had was to stay out. Otherwise, I’d be pitting. Because he was undercutting me, so he would just come out ahead and I wouldn’t be able to pass, they’re too quick on the straights.

“So, the only option was to stay out as long as possible, and hope the tires hold together.”

With Hamilton falling farther behind Verstappen, he will hope to bounce back in Red Bull’s home race in Austria next weekend.