Crossing the line tenth, over a minute behind his 2021 nemesis, Lewis Hamilton admits that Mercedes has a lot of work to do.

Starting the race from 15th - courtesy of Daniel Ricciardo's grid penalty - Lewis Hamilton, one of three drivers to start the race on hard tyres, had worked his way up to sixth before he finally pitted on lap 40.

Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, the other drivers to start on the white-banded rubber, pitted on lap 37, the German making it into the pitlane in the moments before it was closed after Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso had stopped on track.

"Too late," sighed Hamilton as he was told to pit just moments after he had passed the pit entrance. Indeed it was.

Rejoining the race in twelfth, he was able to pick off Lance Stroll and Alex Albon in the final stages of the race to claim the last of the points.

"Personally, I feel like I maximised everything," said the seven-time champion. "I don't know if we did as a team, but it is what it is. We move on.

"It was a difficult one," he continued, referring to the aborted pit stop. "I saw Alonso slowing down, it was double yellow flags so I didn't push to overtake him, then Daniel was stuck in the pit lane so I didn't know if I could go in with the car just sitting there. It was just not great. Anyways, it is what it is."

Asked, what lessons have been learned for the weekend, he replied: "The learnings are that we are quite a bit off pace-wise, and we've got a lot of work to do.

"Right now we are not fighting for the top step," he continued, "we are still far off the guys who are ahead and we've got a lot of work to do. It feels like a long way away. We need more grip and we need more power.

"The end result was not great but the race was going really well," he insisted, "I felt relatively well on the hard tyre. I was keeping up with George and I think I put in some decent times and pace considering how old the hard tyres were and then the strategy at the end.

"I don't know if it was strategy or the virtual safety car, we lost out so much so I think we will keep working hard and keep fighting because that's all we can do.

"We are still really down on speed and on the speed trace," added the Briton. "I don't know if that is just one fix or several things, I don't know how much drag we have compared to the others, but it feels like a lot."

Indeed, with only three Mercedes-powered cars finishing in the top ten, the German manufacturer has its work cut out.

Check out our Sunday gallery from Jeddah, here.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by kenji, 29/03/2022 1:25

"@ ffracer. No one can be forced to drive against their will. Drivers can always withdraw their labour but at a cost..one would assume. Some drivers have an inordinately large bank balances! Some drivers take defeat squarely upon their shoulders and try to turn negatives into positives despite their dismay at the results. Some drivers do the 'hang dog' impression, much like some children do, and it somehow rings hollow. Some drivers just want to go home? Let them and then we can get on and race... which after all what was intended in the first place. Yes, the track is fearsome and some drivers will be out of their depth and run a deficit in the driver's skill bank! That's what is exciting about a race such as this. I enjoyed the race immensely and it had an element of 'what next' to keep me on the edge. Well done to all who made that event happen."

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2. Posted by ffracer, 28/03/2022 17:52

"Lewis has shone to be the consummate professional this weekend... even when he was working while at wits end. I really think that his outspokeness (of the heinous human rights violations to which I, and the rest of humanity, agree with him), the threats directed at him, the relentless media trying to pry a Pandora's response from him and the missile(s?) all took its toll on him, and rightly so.

This weekend showed how great the F1 circus worked together while under extreme pressure, constantly being reminded of imminent danger (and not just with the fearsome track limits) by the ominous black smoke cloud just some kms nearby. Was there ever a weekend so chilling come to mind? JM Fangio being kidnapped in '58 Cuban GP weekend (not born yet, read about it) and Imola '94 (chilling but for different reasons as everything seemed to go wrong all weekend) "

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3. Posted by Tardis40, 28/03/2022 16:27

"Russell seems to be doing okay"

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"We've got a lot of work to do," admits Hamilton

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