Hamilton DISTANCES himself from Mercedes amid Red Bull approach

Lewis Hamilton has reportedly admitted he had concerns over the direction Mercedes were heading in with the current W14.

After opting to run a unique zero-sidepods method, Mercedes for the second season in a row have struggled to put up a championship fight to Red Bull who have so far won all seven races this season.

But after ditching the sidepods in Monaco, Mercedes have since found an upturn in form, recording a double podium finish at the Spanish Grand Prix to record their best result of the season, with Hamilton finishing ahead of George Russell behind winner Max Verstappen.

READ MORE: Russell opens up on 'AGGRESSIVE' Verstappen claims with 'DANGEROUS' F1 drivers on the grid

The team have since guarded themselves about expecting a similar result at the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend but are now confident they are on the correct development path.

However, there are claims Hamilton did not support the concept of going for a more Red Bull based approach, and that when he drove the updated W14 for the first time, it felt similar to the 2022 car.

"These are ideas from the past year, with the team and George Russell we have been constantly working on questions like 'why does this look like this' and 'have we tried this yet'," the Brit told reporters via quotes from the Daily Express.

"Now we have wider sidepods, a bit towards Red Bull's, and I can say it wasn't my decision to go this way. When we put the car on the track for the first time this year it was almost a copy of last year's car, only it didn't bounce. A bit like a prettier sister, but really with similar characteristics."

Hamilton will be looking for at least a third podium of the season on Sunday at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit where he won his first ever grand prix back in 2007.

The Brit now has two second places to his name this term but is still looking to win a race for the first time since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021.

READ MORE: Verstappen set to BREAK 11-YEAR Red Bull record and eclipse likes of Raikkonen and Prost

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