Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have a chance of winning an F1 race this year and contending for the title next season, states Mercedes

Ahead of the Canadian GP, Mercedes Technical Director James Allison has shared some positivity for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. He is optimistic about the team's trajectory, claiming that wins and title fights are in the offing.

James Allison recently retook the role of Technical Director of Mercedes after his brief stint as the Chief Technology Officer for the team. He now directly overlooks the design team and sees a higher potential in the current design philosophy.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the Silver Arrows chief said:

"Can this car become competitive enough to win a race this year? I'd say with the following wind, Yes it can. If we do the right things, over the remainder of this year and across the years, can we be in the championship fight for the following year? Even more yes!"

The Mercedes chief's bullish outlook is backed by the team's recent upturn in results after introducing major upgrades in Monaco. After bagging decent results on the streets of Monaco with the B-spec W14, the team learned the car's true pace in Barcelona the following weekend.

In the Spanish GP, Mercedes were the second-fastest team, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell standing on the podium at the end of the race. Over the weekend, the team displaced Aston Martin and claimed second place in the constructors' standings.

According to the Silver Arrows, the new parts on the car provide a baseline for the team with higher potential than their previous design. Technical director James Allison hopes to build on the new platform and improve the car, clawing the deficit to Red Bull.

The Brackley-based outfit is on a similar trajectory to last year, where they progressively resolved the issues, claiming a win in the penultimate race.

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Lewis Hamilton reckons the team has "got some work to do" despite impressive Friday results

Lewis Hamilton the Practice session

Friday's (June 16) practice sessions in the Canadian GP were hampered due to varied reasons. With limited running in FP1, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell topped the charts during the extended FP2 session.

Despite leading the lap times, the veteran Mercedes driver downplayed the results, claiming that his car required setup changes.

The Brit said on Friday:

"The car didn't feel bad. I think we have definitely got some work to do."

"Not the greatest but not the worst by far," he added "It's feeling pretty decent, it's just bumpy. I think everyone's having struggles with the bumps. So I think we have just got to improve our ride control and a bit of a balance through the corner and I think we will be alright."

If the FP2 session represents the true performance of the car, Hamilton could claim his eighth win on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.