Hamilton expects 'movement' in development race

Lewis Hamilton expects there to be "movement" in the development battle behind Red Bull for the final podium positions.

The development race has been close for Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin after they all introduce significant updates to their cars in the last couple of rounds.

The seven-time World Champion bemoaned the return of their 'bouncing' issues after the Belgian Grand Prix, and called on his team to add more downforce to its car over the summer break.

"I don't know how much development people will be doing in the second part of the season, but I think there will be movement," Hamilton told media, including RacingNews365.

Mercedes currently leads Aston Martin by 51 points in the Constructors' Championship, with Ferrari a further 56 points back and McLaren trailing by 144 points.

Hamilton bemused by Aston Martin slump

Aston Martin has suffered the biggest slump in performance since achieving six podiums in the first 12 races.

Fernando Alonso was optimistic after his top five finish, but Hamilton expects the other teams to catch up further now they have a clear development direction.

"I don't know what happened to Aston [Martin] and how they've taken a step back," he added.

"But I'm sure McLaren is going to be strong in the second phase, Ferrari and us we're all very, very close.

"Depending on the track, I'm sure there'll be some movement of positions for us all. I hope that we can compete a little bit better and move forwards."