Hamilton lays down Mercedes W15 demand for 2024 car

Lewis Hamilton has urged Mercedes to ensure that its W15 2024 car is "not a replica" of the troubled W14.

Doubling down on its zero sidepod concept at the start of the year, Mercedes quickly discovered that it had got the wrong idea, and brought upgrades of a more conventional sidepod design in Monaco.

While progress was made by the team as it finished second in the Constructors', it failed to win a race for the first time since 2011 and scored 409 points to Red Bull's 860.

It has committed to revolution rather than the evolution from the W13 to W14 last winter, and Hamilton is keen for the feeling to drastically change.

"There have been a few positives, such as getting pole position in Budapest, which we didn't think was going to be possible when I first drove the car," Hamilton told media including RacingNews365.

"The upgrade that we saw in Austria, and the fact that with a couple more laps, we could have been in shooting range for a win, shows that we are slowly morphing this car into a more competitive machine.

"It's gotten more enjoyable to drive, and to be in a position where you actually go forwards rather than backwards.

"It's been positive, but it is still not fundamentally a winning car, and that is what we've got to change next year.

"The dream is to make sure that when we start in February next year, the car is not a replica of this year's car and feel exactly the same - but i am pretty sure that's not going to be the case."