Lewis Hamilton “especially feisty and happy” after Mercedes upgrades - Martin Brundle

Mercedes enjoyed their best weekend of F1 2023 to date with a double-podium finish at the Spanish Grand Prix.

It appears after a sluggish start to the season, Mercedes’ campaign is back on track.

Their partial revival has been down to a substantial upgrade which was introduced at the Monaco Grand Prix.

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Writing in his latest post-race column for Sky, Brundle noticed Hamilton’s “especially feisty and happy” demeanour in Barcelona.

“Russell drove a fine race to take the final step on the podium,” he wrote. 

“Hamilton, who is driving with an especially feisty and happy demeanour lately, was a further eight seconds up the road for a solid second place and double Mercedes podium.

“Before we get too excited, they were 24 and 32 seconds, respectively, behind a cruising Verstappen but at least it's some hope that the Mercedes sidepod upgrade did some good, although we can't say that about Ferrari's similar upgrade yet.”

Mercedes’ recent improvement has allowed them to move ahead of Aston Martin in the constructors’ championship.

Brundle stressed the need for Aston Martin to introduce upgrades of their own to get back on track in Montreal.

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“Furthermore, after a tremendous start to the season Aston Martin need their imminent update to work too, as they fall behind Mercedes in the Constructors' championship,” he added.

“The massive Spanish crowd, who had to endure poor traffic management outside the circuit, needed to be content with Carlos Sainz's Ferrari in fifth place, 45 seconds behind the winner, and Fernando Alonso in seventh, behind his Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll. 

“I did enjoy Fernando waving to the crowd while power sliding his car around on the final tour.”