"We have found more of North Star": Lewis Hamilton "excited" for Mercedes development plan

On an Imola weekend where most of the leading teams are introducing some form of car upgrade, Mercedes will have new parts on the W15 for the second race in succession.

The former champions are yet to finish a Grand Prix in a position higher than fifth this season but Hamilton took heart from their late-race pace last time out at the Miami GP, when he finished on the tail of Red Bull's Sergio Perez, on a weekend where set-up time for the upgrades brought to that event was restricted by the nature of the Sprint weekend.

"The last race was positive and there's a long way to go. I'm just really excited about the developments that are coming. We had a step in the last race and we have a step this weekend and there's more in the pipeline. I feel like we have found more of a North Star of what we need to do and change. It just takes time but the energy in the team is amazing," Hamilton said as quoted by Sky Sports.

"They are so resilient in this team. They are continuing to push even though we have been knocked down quite a few times. We just need to continue to keep our heads down and stay focused and do the best job we can each weekend," he added.

With the much-improved W15, Mercedes' much-changed successor to the unsuccessful W14, Hamilton claims that the company is still in the "discovery process" and that there is a "very small window" during which Mercedes can reliably attain its peak performance.

However, he thinks that the team is making real progress at its Brackley pace, and they are working hard to get more development parts onto the track before a hectic summer of racing.

"It's just a patience game and making do [with] what you have. Making the most of the tools you have at your disposal today, tomorrow and this weekend. But it is really encouraging that we are seeing progress back at the factory in the wind tunnel," Hamilton said. (ANI)