Wolff defends Hamilton after China: 'Car was far from optimal situation'

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has defended Lewis Hamilton following a disappointing weekend in China. The seven-time World Champion finished second in the sprint race, but a mistake in qualifying put him 18th on the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix. Hamilton did work his way through the field, but was ultimately far off the pace.

During the race, Hamilton complained that his car was very slow. Wolff backed up those statements by the Mercedes driver: "I think the car is a difficult car, a difficult car to set up and a difficult car to drive. And that's why you have these oscillations in performances. In my opinion, and I think where Lewis's car was today was certainly far, far away from the optimum. And then it's just driving it on a knife's edge."

So, for now, Hamilton and his W15 are not in a happy relationship. Still, Wolff has some positive news for the seven-time world champion: "Let's say for Miami, we're bringing some new bits, which are interesting to see how they're going to perform in the car."

Hamilton is also hopeful those upgrades will help improve the current situation. The Brit finds himself ninth in the World Championship and is the lowest Mercedes-powered driver apart from Lance Stroll and the Williams drivers.