Hamilton praises 'double knock-on' effect from latest Mercedes upgrade

Lewis Hamilton has praised the "double knock-on" effect that was brought to the Mercedes W14 in Austin for giving him renewed confidence in the car.

The team brought their last major update to their W14 at the United States Grand Prix, which included an updated floor.

Hamilton was able to utilise the performance to get close to Max Verstappen in the race, with him finishing two seconds off his arch title rival in what was one of Mercedes' most competitive races of the season.

He was later disqualified due to excessive skid-block wear on the regulation plank alongside Charles Leclerc, which was discovered in post-race scrutineering.

Hamilton warns 'fundamental' Mercedes issues will not change until next year

The team has struggled to deliver on expectations at the end of 2022 with the W14, but Hamilton believes they are heading in the right direction for next season.

"I think the step that we were able to take this weekend has given me a little bit more confidence in the car to throw it into the corner," Hamilton told media, including RacingNews365.

"So it was positive, I really enjoyed driving around this track.

"There are still some of the fundamental issues that we're having with the car, which won't change till next year.

"But it was really positive to feel the steps that were taken. Maybe it was only a tenth [of a second] upgrade, for example, but there was at least a tenth of confidence that it gave me.

"So this helped me and it's quite an interesting what you see, when you do have those, it's like a double knock on effect."