Lewis Hamilton has declared himself in the ‘best ever’ shape to contest a world championship – but acknowledges that there is an element of waiting for his Mercedes to ‘come correct’ if he is to enter the fight seriously. ‘I have prepared the best way I can this year – the best I have ever prepared – and if the car comes correct tomorrow I will be ready to fight for the world championship, but unfortunately that’s not the case. In the meantime, Hamilton stressed, he would focus on fine margins he could gain from the car as it is. I don’t like driving a car that’s not the car that we weren’t meant to have, but I love that challenge of ‘okay, what can I do with it?

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