Hamilton wants to feel 100%

Lewis Hamilton cannot wait until he finally feels at one with his Mercedes, a moment that is likely to make the rest of the Formula One world sit up and take notice.

Five months on from the day Hamilton first stepped into the car on the opening day of testing in Jerez in early February, he is still struggling to get to grips with the W04.

That may sound surprising when you consider the 28-year-old’s pole lap at Silverstone on Saturday ahead of the British Grand Prix when he blew away the rest of the field by four tenths of a second.

For a driver not at home with his car, it was an extraordinary feat, and suggests there is so much more to come from Hamilton once he has resolved his issues.

“It was a nice lap, but I don’t know if I’m going to get that for a while. I really don’t know,” said Hamilton, after setting the eighth quickest time in practice ahead of Sunday’s German Grand Prix.

“I’ve not been feeling 100 per cent in this car for some reason. It’s the first year in my life I’ve not felt 100 per cent in a car.

“When you drive a Formula One car you really need to feel connected to it to be able to throw it in to places that other people can’t. That’s how you gain the advantage.

“It is an incredible car, just not as easy as what I’ve experienced before (at McLaren) because I drove a car for a long period of time so every year it evolved – the brake set-up, seat position, control systems – to how I liked to use it.

“I’ve just arrived in a car that’s been developed for Nico and for Michael (Schumacher), so it’s taking some time to adapt it to how I like to drive.

“But considering the results I’ve had so far with that feeling, I’m excited for the rest of the year.

“It is definitely a positive. When I do feel 100 per cent in this car, I am looking forward to that moment.

“I’m working very hard to overcome the problems and to extract the most from the car, so when I do I’m looking forward to seeing the results.”

On present form, with Mercedes on pole at five of the last six races and with team-mate Nico Rosberg winning two of the last three, there is a shift in momentum under way in the championship battle.

Whilst stopping short of suggesting he or Rosberg will win the title this year, Hamilton is happy to at least concede there is excitement building within the team.

Asked if he could take the title, with the Briton currently 43 points adrift of three-times champion Sebastian Vettel, Hamilton said: “I don’t think that at the moment.

“But this team has the potential to win the championship. Whether it’s this year or next year, we’ll see

“Within the team I’ve really noticed the confidence growing. They are working incredibly hard, developments are coming through and the car is feeling better and better.

“It’s great Nico has got the results he has had in the last couple of races, and to see us second in the constructors’ championship at the moment is just fantastic for the team.

“It is a huge boost for them, and we are going to push as hard as we can to go even better.”

Hamilton, however, encountered problems in second practice following a first session in which he comfortably topped the timesheet.

“This morning went pretty well and the car felt good,” Hamilton said.

“But then we made some changes which didn’t quite work out for us. The car felt a little off balance during FP2.

“So we’ll have a look into that overnight and probably backtrack on some of those changes for tomorrow. I’m sure we will be back on form for FP3.”

Vettel emerged quickest at the end of the two 90-minute runs that proved trouble free given the furore that has surrounded Pirelli following their exploding tyres at the British Grand Prix.

Vettel edged Mercedes’ Rosberg by nearly a quarter of a second, with McLaren’s Jenson Button and Paul Di Resta in his Force India ninth and 10th on the timesheet, whilst Marussia’s Max Chilton was just over four seconds down and last.