Hamilton: Mercedes W08 ‘difficult to drive’

Lewis Hamilton has admitted the Mercedes W08 is like trying to “tame a horse” but is enjoying the challenges that the 2017 season throws at him.

Hamilton was able to narrow the deficit to World Championship leader Sebastian Vettel to six points at the Spanish Grand Prix, but getting the optimum balance and performance from his car is proving to be a massive battle for him.

“I quite like that the car is difficult to drive,” said Hamilton.

“It’s like you watch people get on the bull, jump on the bull and try to tame the bull, try to tame a horse. It’s the same kind of feeling you get in this car, when it’s not easy, when it’s a challenge.

“There are cars I’ve had in the past which have been beautiful to drive and very easy, a lot easier to set up. I like that this is a challenge, it really puts myself and my engineers on the edge.

“And it really makes us have to be a lot more meticulous with the decisions we make, the direction in which we go, and how I also have to work a lot harder to balance the car. You saw obviously over the radio in the last race. That’s the fight of it.

“Over the year the car will continue [to improve], as we understand it more and more, understand the tyres and understand the tools that we have, we’ll refine them and the car will get easier to drive for sure.”