Hamilton: I haven't done a perfect lap yet this season

Lewis Hamilton does not believe Mercedes will be favourites to win at any of the remaining races this season on the back of Ferrari's resurgent form, although the championship leader says delivering his first perfect lap of 2019 could change that.

Ferrari are in Russia this week on the back of a three-race winning streak, their best run in over a decade.

After the Scuderia were triumphant at favourable circuits in Belgium and Italy, they were surprise winners in Singapore as an upgraded aero package worked a treat.

And Hamilton expects that Mercedes will face a battle over the remainder of the season, with strong leads in both championships helping them out.

"We will not be favourites at any of the next six races," said Hamilton.

"It is not my job to worry, but we are conscious of the position we are in.

"We know how fast Ferrari have been on the straights, so for us there isn't a short-term fix, but there are other areas we can do better in.

"At the last three races, we haven't extracted 100 per cent 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."

Despite his pessimism, Hamilton remains fully committed to Mercedes, and confident that his team can extract the best results possible.

He said: "Remaining as the leaders is not an easy task so it is understandable that we will have dips.

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

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