Lewis Hamilton has insisted his Mercedes team "will pull through", despite their latest struggles at the Miami Grand Prix.
Hamilton finished sixth in Miami, one place behind teammate George Russell, with the result leaving him on 36 points in the F1 driver standings - 68 points behind current leader Charles Leclerc. The seven-time world champion has only reached the podium once so far this season, having earned a third-placed finish in the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Following the race in Miami, Hamilton hit out at Mercedes for asking him whether he wanted to take advantage of a late safety car to switch to newer tyres instead of making the decision for him. Hamilton opted not to make the change, while teammate Russell did and ultimately fought past Hamilton to finish ahead of him.
"In that scenario, I have no clue where everyone is, so when the team say 'it is your choice', I don't have the information to make the decision," Hamilton said. "That's what your job is.
"Make the decision for me as you have all the details and I don't. I rely on the guys for that, but today they gave the decision to me and I didn't understand it.
"When you are given that responsibility it feels like gambling and I don't like that. It was just a bit unfortunate."
Hamilton has since taken to social media to insist the team is "moving in the right direction". On his Instagram story, Hamilton wrote: "Reflecting on Miami. We picked up some good points for the team, and again what an amazing drive from @georgerussell63.
"Overall, it's a good sign that we're moving in the right direction. We still have some snags to sort out, but I'm confident that the team will pull through. They always do."
The season will continue later this month in Barcelona, when the teams compete at the Spanish Grand Prix. Last year, Hamilton won the race, finishing ahead of rival Max Verstappen but it looks like it could be a very different story for the Brit this time around unless there is a dramatic change.
