Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc
Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes was much more of a match for the pacesetting Ferraris and Red Bulls at Silverstone

Recent improvements by Mercedes have reassured Lewis Hamilton that he will be able to win a race this year.

The seven-time champion is the only driver in the history of the sport to win a grand prix every year.

Hamilton said that the podium finishes have encouraged them to move in the correct direction.

Hopefully we can get closer to having a chance of winning with more hard work. We can win a race this year.

At the beginning of the season, Hamilton was worried that Mercedes would never return to being competitive in the future.

He stated that there was a long way back. I wasn't sure if we'd ever get a win in this car, but that was not the way we wanted to think.

There is a long way to go to catch everyone up.

Two separate upgrades - one at the Spanish Grand Prix in May and another at the British Grand Prix last weekend - have helped Mercedes understand their car and the team now believe they can make further progress towards the front.

After Friday practice in Canada, Hamilton described the Mercedes as a disaster and the worst car he had ever driven.

Hamilton said it was hugely encouraging. For a long time, we made changes and didn't know if they would improve the car or not.

It was a good step in Barcelona, but we had a lot of trouble following it. We had the final two races.

He now believes there is more to the car than meets the eye.

Hamilton did not think he would be as competitive at the Austrian Grand Prix as he was at the British race.

There was a chance to win the race.

We need everything to align because we are not at the same level as the teams ahead of us.

It is going to be difficult for us to win here because of the combination of corners. It's not impossible.

The weather is moving in different directions. I think we will be surprised tomorrow. I am not giving up.

Zhou accident a 'reminder' of F1 danger

Zhou Guanyu
Zhou's shattered Alfa Romeo came to rest between the tyre barrier and the grandstand fencing

The huge accident at the start of the British Grand Prix was a reminder to those watching that this is a dangerous sport according to Hamilton.

After a multi-car pile-up, the Chinese driver's Alfa Romeo vaulted a barrier and came to rest on its side between the metal barrier and the crowd.

Hamilton said that they take risks. People sometimes don't realize how much it means to them. We have to not take for granted the fact that we are exposed in a few areas.

Zhou's accident shows that we need to continue to improve.

The car getting stuck behind that barrier is something we need to make sure doesn't happen again, but sometimes these experiences are what open our eyes to how much we can improve and we will continue to do that

Zhou talked about the crash for the first time on Thursday.

He didn't know he was between the barriers. I thought I was near the barriers. I don't know how I survived because I was between the barrier and the fence. I think the halo saved me.

Zhou saw pictures of the accident after he realized his car was in the wrong place.

When the car came to a rest, he felt some fluid leaking and his main concern was to make sure his hand did not get injured.

He tried to switch off the engine because he was unsure if it was from his body or the car. It will be hard to get out of the fire. My engine was turned off. Everything was okay.

If you had a summer break after that, it would be terrible, because you would be thinking about it again and again.

You would find it even if you tried to avoid it. It was good to be back quickly.

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