Lewis Hamilton has said that Mercedes has 'some work to do' after a tough Malaysian Grand Prix, in which the team was defeated by Red Bull.
Hamilton, who started from pole position, led in the early stages of the race but was overtaken by Max Verstappen on lap four, going on to finish in second place, 12 seconds behind the Dutchman, who went on to take a dominant win.
"A big congratulations to Max – Happy Birthday, he did a fantastic job today," said Hamilton post-race.
" And really a big thank you to all the crowd here, this is the biggest crowd we’ve ever had here in Malaysia – we need that. It was such a great race for us for so many years. We appreciate you guys having us."
Reflecting on his afternoon in Sepang, Hamilton said: "The race was a tough one. They [Verstappen and Red Bull] just had the upper hand on us today. We love driving this track, it is the most difficult circuit, you’re the most depleted afterwards."
Despite extending his points advantage over Sebastian Vettel in the Drivers' Championship, Hamilton admitted that Mercedes has some work to do having struggled for pace for the most part of this weekend, with Valtteri Bottas also struggling in the second car.
"I feel good, but I think we’ve got some work to do with the car," he said.
"Obviously we didn’t have the pace this weekend. So there’s still work to do. There are still races ahead, some of them we can for sure win, but we’ve just got to keep pushing."
With five races remaining of the 2017 season, Hamilton leads Vettel in the Drivers' Championship by 34 points while Mercedes holds a commanding 118 point lead over Ferrari in the Constructors' battle.
