Lewis Hamilton said after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that Mercedes was “miles off” the pace at high speeds.
Hamilton fought most of the race against the McLaren of Oscar Piastri, who in several occasions challenged him at Turn 1 after a long, fast straight with a DRS zone in which the Briton struggled.
The 7-time World Champion was heard multiple times over the radio complaining about his Mercedes’ performance, and he re-affirmed the Silver Arrows struggle at high speeds when asked by the media after the race.
“The car is relatively good in the low speeds and not so bad in the medium,” Hamilton said.
“But in the high speeds, we are miles off.
“It was like I was in a different category when I was going through the high speeds between the other [drivers], the other guys around me.
“So, it’s frustrating for sure to be three years in a row in the same, almost the same position.
“It’s definitely tough, but I know we’ll get our heads down and we’ll keep working away. And I know everyone back at the factory is pushing as hard as they can, but we’ve definitely got to make some big changes.
“We haven’t made big enough changes [to the car], perhaps. You look at the three teams ahead of us, they still have a different concept to where we are in some areas. So, we’ve got some performance to add, for sure.”