‘There isn’t a short-term fix’ – Hamilton says he’s unlikely to win remaining races

Lewis Hamilton has won eight races this year, making a career total of 81

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton says he will not be favourite for any of the six remaining races this season.

The Mercedes driver has a 65-point lead in the championship.

But Ferrari have won the past three races – and Charles Leclerc has scored the most points in the past five.

“It is not my job to worry but we are conscious of the position we are in. There isn’t a short-term fix but there are other areas we can do better in,” Hamilton said.

“I don’t think we are going to be favourites at any of the next six races but that doesn’t mean we can’t win.

“If we get the car in the right position in qualifying and then qualify in the right position, we have been stronger generally in most of the races. Positioning is really everything.”

Hamilton’s concerns are rooted in the straight-line speed advantage Ferrari have shown this season and which was the foundation for Leclerc’s victories in the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix.

Ferrari’s one-two finish in Singapore last weekend, with Sebastian Vettel ahead of Leclerc, caught Mercedes by surprise because they had not expected the Italian team to be so competitive on a slow-speed circuit, on which they have struggled so far this season.

“We know how fast Ferrari have been on the straights,” five-time world champion Hamilton said. “In the past three races, we have been stuck behind and not able to get by.

“There is no point worrying but I would say in the past three races, we haven’t extracted 100% from the weekend and that is what we need to get back to.

“I can squeeze more out of the car, more out of myself – I haven’t done a perfect lap yet this season. Remaining as the leaders is not an easy task so it is understandable that we will have dips.

“But I have 100% confidence in my guys. We are still the strongest team and while it has not been spectacular recently, we haven’t been terrible.

“Even if this weekend does not go as planned, and the long straights are likely to suit Ferrari, it is not going to change my opinion as to what we will achieve moving forwards.

“I know we will make it difficult for every other team this year, next year, and potentially the years after.

“So, we are not going to give up. It is not part of our DNA and we will keep pushing.”

Hamilton heads into the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi with a 65-point championship lead over team-mate Valtteri Bottas.

Leclerc is 96 points behind Hamilton, tied with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with Vettel a further six adrift.

There is a maximum of 156 points available over the remaining races in Russia, Japan, Mexico, the USA, Brazil and Abu Dhabi.