The Bahrain Grand Prix made a lot of interesting revelations in terms of the teams standing on the grid. Red Bull is still at the top, Ferrari following them on the grid standings after the race. However, there is competition for the third spot in the standings as compared to last year. Despite the horrendous state of the W13, Mercedes was still the third-fastest team on the grid. This scenario changed in 2023, according to Lewis Hamilton.

Despite renewed hope and high expectations, the W14 is still off the pace from the front leaders. In fact, after the Bahrain race, Hamilton believes the team has fallen behind in the pecking order. Who has taken their place in the top three? According to his comments in the post-race interview as quoted by Formula1.com, Aston Martin has taken the third spot.

“We definitely can’t fight them at the moment – they were much quicker than us, as were the Astons,” confessed Hamilton. “We’re the fourth fastest team now, as opposed to the third last year. We’re going backwards, [so] we really have a lot of work to do to close that gap.”

This undesirable backward step is unacceptable and hampering Hamilton’s pursuit of the elusive eighth championship title. However, team boss Toto Wolff has assured the Brit he will pull all strings to get him his eighth title.

Read More: Lewis Hamilton on a Slippery Slope as Toto Wolff Admits to Mercedes’s Big Blunder With Hope for a U-Turn: “Totally Not Dogmatic”

Mercedes quickly needs to take steps in the right direction or the team can expect to finish lower in the constructor’s standing. This will be a concerning result for Mercedes, who won an unprecedented eight championships in a row. However, it is not all bad, according to Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton reveals his joy for racing is back after a disappointing 2022

Unlike the 2022 season, where Hamilton was suffering through most of the season, the start of the 2023 season is not as bad. In fact, the Brit enjoyed the race despite lacking the pace to catch Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari toward the end.

He revealed, “I genuinely loved the racing. I had a great start, got Fernando in Turn 4 and I was like, ‘Oh jeez, this is a great start to the race’. It felt like one of my better opening laps.” Despite the lack of pace and overall concerns surrounding the car, the Brit is at least in a happier state compared to 2022.

WATCH THIS STORY: Lewis Hamilton Jumps Off a Plane Amidst His Mental Health Woes

However, if he will be able to enjoy racing as the season progresses is yet to be seen.