"It's largely dependent on Checo": Lewis Hamilton on whether he can finish runner up to Max Verstappen in the 2023 F1 season

Lewis Hamilton reckons team result in the championship is a priority as opposed to his individual result. The Briton feels the battle for second place in the championship will depend on Sergio Perez’s performance in the next few rounds on the calendar.

Expecting the Mexican to seal second place in the championship with ease, the 38-year-old felt that the Red Bull driver’s performance would impact the battle. The gap between Hamilton and Perez is 33 points, with six rounds left on the calendar. While a second place in the driver’s championship would be a delight, the seven-time world champion insisted that the team result was a priority.

Lewis Hamilton, who is proud of his race performances this season, said that Ferrari has been giving Mercedes a tough fight for the last few races. Excited for the battle between Mercedes and its old Maranello rival, the Briton is looking forward to the remaining races of the calendar. He feels it will take a collective team effort to retain their second place in the championship.

Asked by Sportskeeda about the battle for second in the constructor’s championship, Lewis Hamilton said:

“We definitely are not comfortably second, Ferrari are putting up a really strong fight. They’ve done an amazing job in the last couple of races. It’s going to be really really battle. I’m really excited for these next, the last back half of the season, to see if we can really squeeze more juice out of this car and try and finish ahead of them. But its going to take a real team effort. I really proud of where we are considering where we started at the beginning of the season.”

Commenting on his own battle for second place in the championship, he said:

“I mean its ultimately largely dependent on Checo. Checo’s performance moving forwards. As he should easily have second as you know. But I’m really proud of where we are, where I’ve managed to get to. I am really proud of the race performances so far. Of course I want to try and do better and do more and if were to get second it would be amazing. But the main focus is really to try and get second for the team.”

Lewis Hamilton said their car had not been changed and they were not able to iron out some of the issues from Japan. While the bouncing is not as extreme as it was on the W13, he said that the bumpy circuits tend to have that effect on their car.

Asked if some of the issues on his car from Japan had been addressed, Lewis Hamilton replied:

“It’s the same car as last week, as the last race. We’ve definitely not ironed it out now. This car is going to bounce for the rest of the year probably. But I feel optimistic for next year, it wont be the characteristic on the cars.”

On the bouncing having any physical effects on the drivers, he said:

“No. I mean it comes and goes. For some races, its bouncing, some races it isn't. When it comes back, you'r like ‘damn’. But its nowhere as hard core as we had in Baku.”

Hoping for a straightforward weekend in Qatar, Lewis Hamilton dismissed the possibility of their car bouncing at the Losail International circuit. He felt the tarmac was smoother and it's normally the bumpy surfaces that hurt their car.

Despite the unpredictability of the W14, it has been the more consistent of the midfield, in terms of performance as their rivals have had a more inconsistent progress curve. Ferrari had a more unpredictable car at various circuits, as their performance had massive swings with changing track characteristics.

Asked if the bouncing could return in Qatar, Lewis Hamilton said:

“Well its quite a smooth circuit, so I don’t think. I hope that we don’t have it but it’s definitely possible. You just don't know with this car. Bumps usually make it worse and there’s not generally a huge amount of bumps here. So hopefully it should be a smoother weekend.”