Lewis Hamilton has acknowledged that he has already given up hope of challenging for the Formula 1 title this year.
Having agonisingly missed out on an eighth crown in 2021, the legendary British driver had hoped to make amends this campaign, but Ferrari and Red Bull are performing several levels higher than his own team.
Hamilton finished in 14th place in Saturday's sprint race at Emilia Romagna, and the lack of a challenge has left the veteran to admit that gradual improvements over the course of the season is the best that he, George Russell and the team can hope for this year.
The 37-year-old is quoted by BBC Sport as saying: "We stick together. We try to motivate everyone. This is the situation we are faced with.
"We are obviously not fighting for the championship. But we are fighting to understand the car and improve and progress through the year. That's all we can hope for right now."
Hamilton sits 50 points behind Championship leader Charles Leclerc, while teammate Russell is 39 points adrift of top spot.
