Despite a little ray of hope after the upgrades introduced in Monaco as Mercedes found the pace and became competitive. However, staying still in the world of F1 equates to walking backward. Despite the consistent podium finishes, the W14 is not getting any closer to the goal of challenging Red Bull. In fact, Mercedes is still in the experimental phase where they are trying different setups to completely understand the car. However, the setup during the practice sessions at the Hungaroring did not work for Lewis Hamilton. Despite the abysmal result from the practice session, the Brit was given a ray of hope by his engineers.

Hamilton did not get any time on the track during FP1 and his best time during FP2 was only good enough for P16. This shameful result did not please Hamilton one bit. However, speaking to the media, as quoted by F1 Maximaal, Mercedes’ trackside engineer gave Hamilton a ray of hope. First, let’s look at what Hamilton had to say.

When asked about how the car felt after his abysmal results in the practice session, Hamilton shared his harsh criticism. He said, “No it wasn’t feeling good at all. It was feeling like the car is worst today but we’ll work on the setup tonight. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll feel better.”

Shovlin explained, “Most teams used two sets of tires today, while we chose not to. That is the main reason why we were not higher in the results. The advantage will come tomorrow, as we will have two sets of new tires at our disposal in the third free practice.”

Read More: Helmut Marko Drags Lewis Through the Dirt to Dismiss Scathing Accusations Against Red Bull

Mercedes is putting all their eggs in one basket as they expect better performance in Fp3 before the all-important W14. However, the struggles with the troubled W14 will continue long after the Hungarian GP.

Lewis Hamilton and Co. are far from the ideal state with the W14 as the struggles continue

Since the start of the 2022 season, Mercedes has been struggling with their car. The bold changes in Monaco were enough to put them on the right trajectory. However, the team is far from peaking at the moment. Shovlin confessed that as he explained the challenges, they’re facing with the ever-changing formats as well.

Shovlin confessed, “There is still more than enough work to do when it comes to the balance of the car, both over a single lap and over the long run.”

He further explained, “That will be important as the field is close together. We also have the challenge of having to use different tire compounds in each part of qualifying. We’re going to analyze all the data tonight and then we’ll see what we can do tomorrow.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Lewis Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes Has Been Ruled Out Despite A Heated Confrontation With Toto Wolff 

This is more bad news for all Hamilton stans who still believe the Brit will extend his contract with Mercedes. However, some believe Hamilton will not give up, as these rays of hope keep his faith in Mercedes alive.