Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes’ biggest gains have come from a greater understanding of its W09, as opposed to updated components.
Mercedes has been locked in a tight battle with Ferrari for much of the campaign but has pulled clear in the standings across recent events.
Hamilton’s advantage over Sebastian Vettel has grown from 14 to 50 points courtesy of his hat-trick of wins in Italy, Singapore and Russia, the last of those a 1-2 finish for Mercedes.
Mercedes held a comfortable buffer through most of the weekend in Russia, with Vettel over half a second adrift of polesitter Valtteri Bottas during qualifying.
“We were not expecting to be as fast as were in the last race,” said Hamilton.
“I think our car worked really well. It’s difficult to know how much we’ve improved as opposed as they’ve stood still or they have gone backwards.
“We have no idea. Maybe they’ll have a better understanding coming here as we expect it to be quite close here.
“We had an upgrade in Spa then we had a small upgrade in Monza, and then we had a small upgrade in the last race so it’s not big steps, it’s small bits.
“Our understanding of the car is continuing, in our understanding of the car is where we are making the biggest steps.
“Just all round the car feels great and the engine performance is improving, efficiency is improving, the car stability is improving.
“It’s a good point in the year because the car’s the best it’s been all year long so I can’t wait to drive around this track because it’s going to be the fastest we’ve ever driven here in Suzuka. That first sector is going to be insane.”
Hamilton added that the recent Grands Prix have been a “dream experience” due to the level at which he and Mercedes have been operating.
“I’ve been really happy when I look back at these races, I couldn’t have hoped for better performances,” he said.
“There have been some really dream experiences for me. Races that I dream of having performing at those levels.
“That’s what I live for and you don’t always get to experience what your target is but I’m just really grateful for how the races have panned out.”
