Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton knows exactly where the W14 is lacking and has given his team a clear indication about what it needs to do to get back to the top of the field.
The Stevenage-born racer seems far from convinced with his team’s engineers having the required technical expertise.
The W14 has been sub-par this season compared to Red Bull, and although both George Russell and Hamilton managed to finish the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in the top-5, the Silver Arrows know they have their work cut out.
Throughout the weekend in Jeddah, Hamilton found himself chasing Russell and it looked like he was rather frustrated.
However, he attributed much of the youngster’s success in Saudi Arabia to purely ‘picking the right option‘.
Lewis has ‘no confidence’ in the W14 after seeing his teammate perform better than him despite being on softer compound tyres during the second half of the race.
The seven-time world champion detailed Mercedes’ best course of action after a disappointing start.
“We’re a long way down on downforce,” Hamilton said.
“So we’ve got to pick up the rear end downforce, particularly. The more rear we gain, the more stable the rear becomes – the more confident I’ll be able to attack.
“But I think in general, just this car…
“Even if we do change that, there’s a specific thing with something on the car that I have never had before. It’s a position I’ve not had in previous years’ cars.
“For me, it’s the thing that is making me uncomfortable. I’ve just got to work hard to make sure it is changed. It’s on a knife edge when you’re above about 95 percent. But when you’re in a race stint, it’s much more controllable and predictable.
“I still don’t have the confidence in the race, but I’m doing the best I can with it.”
It was still a significant improvement for the German manufacturer compared to the season-opener in Bahrain.
One positive that the team can draw from the outing in Jeddah is the fact that Mercedes looked far superior than Ferrari, who are seen by many as their direct competitors in challenging the Red Bull supremacy.
“It is definitely strange to see the Ferrari are behind us,” Hamilton said.
“It’s positive for us. It’s a different surface here, and we don’t really understand why on this surface our car works one way, and it’s different in another.
“But there are lots of positives to take from this weekend. It will be up and down throughout the first three races.
“Hopefully we can get some upgrades ASAP and try to close that gap to the Aston Martins.”