Damon Hill says it is "a good sign" that Lewis Hamilton is positive about his car again after his public criticism of his Mercedes team early in this season.
The Silver Arrows showed significant progress at the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend. Both W14s had very strong race pace and low tyre degradation which helped them secure their first double podium of the season.
Hamilton finished second behind only Max Verstappen, as Red Bull showed there is still some way to go before they will be caught. But he and George Russell managed to hold off Sergio Perez, who had started 11th on the grid.
Comfortably, though, Mercedes had the second quickest car on the track in Barcelona. In comparison, Ferrari continued to struggle for race pace and Aston Martin were not as competitive as they have been at other circuits so far this season.
It will have been a welcome situation for Mercedes after another difficult start to the season. They stuck by their 'zeropod' aerodynamic concept heading into 2023 but, even at the very first race weekend of the year, finally admitted a change was necessary.
It was at the Bahrain race that Hamilton publicly called out his team. He said: "I told them the issues that are with the car. I've driven so many cars in my life, so I know what a car needs, I know what a car doesn't need. It's about owning up and saying, 'Yeah, you know what, we didn't listen to you, it's not where it needs to be and we've got to work'.
"We've got to look into the balance through the corners, look at all the weak points and just huddle up as a team, that's what we do. We're still multi-world champions, you know? It's just they haven't got it right this time, they didn't get it right last year, but that doesn't mean we can't get it right moving forwards."
Having shown up to Monaco with a more orthodox design, the signs since have been positive for the team and their ambitions to return to regular contention for race wins. And 1996 world champion Hill hailed Hamilton for his role in encouraging the change which seems to have help them make notable progress on that front.
He said: "Mercedes showed in the race they've leapfrogged the threat from Aston Martin and Ferrari on a circuit where it really pushes the car's ability to look after its tyres and have good aero balance and good aero performance. It's shown that it has the potential there.
"All the circuits are different but Barcelona is one of those places that shows up pure performance, aero package and balance etc, which is why the Red Bulls were so dominant, or at least Max was. So I think there are encouraging signs there for Mercedes, definitely.
"Maybe this has unlocked more potential. But whether it's able to unlock more potential to beat Red Bull is questionable because I think they are stuck with the fundamental chassis they have underneath [the car].
"To hear Lewis say, 'I'm enjoying driving the car'. That's a good sign and an indication for him because he's been saying, 'I told you we should have done something earlier'. They have gone and done what he has been pleading with them to do and they have seen some progress, so well done Lewis."
