Lewis Hamilton spoke confidently ahead of the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix, asserting that Mercedes will now be fighting for more wins.
The seven-time World Champion won the last race preceding the 13th round of the season at Hungaroring. In Silverstone, he scored his first victory of the season, and he did it based on pure pace, without a crash in front or safety car help.
This victory brought a huge morale boost not only to the 39-year-old himself but to the whole Mercedes squad, and they are bringing some further upgrades to Hungary.
However, it won't be easy. It will be a hot weekend, and such conditions do not tend to suit Mercedes. Moreover, Red Bull brings its biggest upgrade of the season so far and McLaren is also expected to compete for the win.
Despite all the challenges, the British Mercedes driver seems more confident than ever that his team can fight for the victory. He told the media ahead of the weekend in Budapest:
"It's game on. We're fighting for wins, and we're chasing, and we're going to try and win as many races as George mentioned or compete for as many wins as possible."
"It might turn out this weekend that the Red Bull still is light years ahead, or the McLaren is still this weekend. Who knows."
While the seven-time World Champion admitted some of their rivals might turn out to be faster this time around, he clearly feels much more confident about his team's ability to close the gap to the front.
"But I think what we've shown over the last few races is that with determination, with real focus, and persistently chasing for perfection and improvement, you can make a difference."
"And so we are united as a team and we're going to try and make sure that we can end the season on a high. And if we can lift the team up in the ladder of constructors... if we can progress, we're not too far off the drivers up ahead of us... then that would be great."