Lewis Hamilton issues Red Bull warning with exciting Mercedes 2024 F1 car update

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Hamilton issues Red Bull warning with exciting Mercedes 2024 F1 car update

Mercedes are hard at work in their bid to catch Red Bull next year

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Tuesday 19 December 2023 12:57

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Lewis Hamilton has insisted that Mercedes can close the gap to Red Bull in the 2024 Formula 1 season after he saw the Silver Arrow's car for next year in the team's wind tunnel for the first time.

Red Bull, led by Max Verstappen, were in a league of their own in 2023. The team won 21 out of the 22 races, with the Dutchman responsible for 19 of those.

For Mercedes, it was a case of fighting for the best of the rest as they secured P2 in the constructors' championship, edging out Ferrari by three points.

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The team ultimately finished 451 points behind Red Bull, amassing less than half of the Milton Keynes-outfit's total points tally.

Lewis Hamilton secured P3 in the drivers' championship in 2023

Yet Hamilton, who claimed P3 in the drivers' championship, believes that Mercedes are capable of catching Red Bull after he caught a glimpse of the yet-to-be-unveiled W15 for next season.

Hamilton: Mercedes can catch Red Bull

"It's always the exciting time of the year because I have seen the car in the wind tunnel," he said at the FIA's end of season awards gala.

“I always go by the wind tunnel when I go to the factory and to see it evolving in whichever direction it ends up going.

"As soon as I was leaving, again I popped in just to see where we were and when I come back it'll be again a different animal.

Mercedes struggled to be competitive in 2023 with their W14

"But I have full faith in everyone that's working on it and hopeful that we'll be in a much more competitive position next year."

"I have to say a big congratulations to Red Bull and to Max and Checo,” he added later on in the evening. “They've done an incredible job this year. Max was faultless.

"The team really raised the bar and we have a lot of work to close that gap. But I truly do believe that we can close that gap.

Mercedes will be hoping to stop Max Verstappen from making it four championships in-a-row next year

"And a big, big thank you to my team because they never gave up this year. We started off with the sister basically of the previous year's car which was not good and not fun to drive for most of the year, but no one gave up.

"Everyone continued to show up every day and that was what was most inspiring for me.

"I hope we come back next year and give it everything."

Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Mercedes