Hamilton doesn't think upgrade Mercedes "will be fighting for a win" yet

Monaco is unique in the F1 calendar. Therefore, it remains to be seen how the updates work out. "It will be difficult to see just how the upgrades work at this kind of track, but I'm hopeful that it puts us a little bit closer to these guys. I don't think we'll be fighting for a win necessarily, but hopefully more than a fight," Hamilton said.

'Confidence in the future'

The Mercedes team are in a period completely different from a few years ago. Back then, it was perfectly normal for the team to win almost every Grand Prix, nowadays the Germans are already happy with a podium finish. "There are a lot of people on the team that have had all the success that we've had in the past. There are a lot of people that haven't had that success yet and they're super hungry. I'm really encouraged when I do go back to the factory and see just how hard everyone's working."

He continued: "Last year we were a little bit lost in terms of how to fix the issue that we had. I feel like have found the North Star. They know exactly where they need to go and we're working on how to get there.  But the amount of work that's gone in is incredible.  I'm very, very grateful for the hard work. I've been so excited to get in the car and feel these changes. I feel that hopefully puts us on the right path now to progress forward and try and catch the guys' ahead."