Mercedes have made some major strides in performance in the past few race weekends. The team has slowly fought its way back into contention for podiums. This was solidified by their performance at the French GP last weekend, where they got a double podium finish with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

However, they are still aware of the fact that there is still a lot of catching up to do, and fortune favored them in their stellar weekend at Paul Ricard. In the latest debrief video that the team has uploaded on YouTube, Mercedes chief strategist James Vowles could be seen breaking down how Mercedes got lucky.

He said, “The stark reality of the fact that in qualifying we were missing 9-tenths and even in the race we were missing a few tenths.” 

He went on to add, “On this particular occasion it was a PU penalty for Sainz that put him in the back and in the case of Perez, a weekend where he wasn’t quite on the pace where he normally is.”

James concluded by saying, “That stark reality is what keeps us working incredibly hard everyday. We want to be back at the front and it will take time but we’re getting there”

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So far, the signs of recovery from the Brackley outfit look promising. Additionally, this finish also marked Lewis Hamilton’s 4th consecutive podium finish on his 300th Grand Prix start. However, a maiden win still eludes the team this season.

Lewis Hamilton overwhelmed with emotion with his 300th start at the French GP

Lewis Hamilton is one of the most experienced, as well as successful, drivers on the grid. The Briton made his debut back in 2007 and the last race in France marked his 300th GP start. The Champion looked back on his career and his time in F1 with adoration.

Hamilton said, “This is my 300th Grand Prix… and I didn’t really think much of it. And this morning, I woke up just feeling incredibly grateful, just thinking about all the people that have been with me along the way, you know?”

He went on to add, “For Ron [Dennis] and Mercedes giving me the chance when I was young. Martin Whitmarsh. Mansour Ojjeh. Toto [Wolff], Niki [Lauda]… Just all these incredible people that have supported me since I was 13. To then have this just incredible journey with them, every race powered by Mercedes.”

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Hamilton is still going strong and would be looking to secure the record-breaking 8th world title. However, this might not be his season with Mercedes yet to register a win, although the signs are looking promising for them.