Lewis Hamilton blow as Max Verstappen to benefit from Toto Wolff's Mercedes plan
Lewis Hamilton's hopes of winning a race this year may have dissipated after Toto Wolff confirmed there will be no more major Mercedes upgrades.
The W14 has been developed significantly in the first half of the season. But Red Bull remain some way ahead, with Hamilton unable to compete with Max Verstappen in terms of race pace.
The seven-time F1 world champion is in good form and just one point behind Fernando Alonso in the drivers' standings. With Aston Martin struggling for results, Hamilton is now in pole position to finish 'best of the rest' behind the Red Bull drivers this season.
That, however, might be the best he can hope for. A victory has looked out of reach for him so far this season and, judging by team principal Wolff's latest admission, it seems likely to remain that way.
The Austrian was speaking in a video released by the team, marking the mid-way point in the season just before the summer shutdown which began this week. "The sails are set for 2024," he declared.
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"Now with the car development almost stopped for this year. I find that good because there is so much we can optimise on the current car without looking too much onto upgrades. Let's see how we can really get it in to more of a sweet spot, whilst gaining lots of understanding for next year."
Despite the difficult situation, Hamilton refused to rule out the prospect of him winning a race this year. He said: "At the moment, I'm not quite sure we can currently compete with [Red Bull] on race pace. I think there were times in [Hungary] Max was around eight tenths faster than everyone on a single lap. But never say never."
The good news for the Brit is that F1's budget cap means Mercedes' rivals are also having to switch their focus to their 2024 cars. And, currently, the Silver Arrows sit second in the championship having leapfrogged Aston Martin in the most recent races.
Alonso's team began the season as the closest chasers behind Red Bull, who always looked likely to pull away from the rest. But Aston Martin have lost out in the development battle and now have possibly only the fifth-quickest car on the grid.
As well as Mercedes, Ferrari have been scoring better of late despite suffering their own problems in race conditions. And McLaren have emerged from nowhere to fight at the front in the last few races, a huge upgrade package propelling Lando Norris into the regular podium conversation.
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