Hamilton reveals 'true step forward' Mercedes hope upgrades bring

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that Mercedes is looking to improve by a second per-lap with their car upgrades, after introducing the first major one in Monaco.

Further updates are planned for the next couple of races including Barcelona, as the team confirmed that they will try a "whole bunch" at the upcoming European rounds.

According to Hamilton, Mercedes hopes they will improve by a second per-lap once they understand how much of an impact they have had on the W14.

"The true step forward we are hoping for - there's been around a second delta in race trim for example - and we haven't covered that with this step. But it is a step in the right direction," he told media, including RacingNews365.com.

"What I felt last weekend was, I felt more confident in the car, more ability to be able to commit to the corner, so I'm hoping that at this track that it's the same.

"But hopefully better because there is a lot of medium-to-high-speed corners. So I'm hoping the flow of the car is better and maybe we can follow closer."

Hamilton: Not sure what to expect from rivals

Both Ferrari and Aston Martin have car upgrades planned for Barcelona, with the former going for an aggressive strategy in a bid to close the gap to Red Bull.

After finishing ahead of both Ferrari drivers in Monaco, Hamilton is optimistic the team can continue this form and fight for podiums.

"I really don't know what to expect and others too have upgrades here this weekend, so we'll find out tomorrow about those upgrades.

"Just from looking at the numbers of what this upgrade is, before they had their upgrades, maybe they'll put us right close with them. But we'll see now whether they take a big step or a small step forwards this weekend.

"I'm still hopeful that we can compete with them this weekend, but it's a big hope."