The Mercedes driver was quizzed about saying “I haven’t been at my best for over a year” having claimed his first pole po♐sition since 2021 last week i🅰n Hungary.

At the F1 Belgian Grand Prixꦫ, said to Hamilton: “Getting the pole again obviously meant a lot. You said afterwards that maybe you’d questioned whether your own form had fallen off a little bit, in the last year or so. 

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“I just wonder if at any point in this periꦚod have you ever felt you had maybeღ lost something that you wouldn’t get back? 

“Or were you always confi🌟dent that you could get back to your best?”

Hamilton pause꧋d for quite a while before replying: “I don’t know - I think that’s a bit of a personal question and I probably don’t really want to go too much into that.”

He ♋then said: “But I think last year-and-a-bit has d𓆏ifficult with the car that we have had.

“Particularly last year, not findin𒀰g myself gelling with the car tha🏅t we had built.

“Therefore, not being able to live at the potential that I know I am able to com🐭pete in.

“When you are hindered by the balanc🎃e, that is similar for so many drivers.

“The goal is to steer 🎀the direction of the development so you can eventually show your potential, and what you are capable of.

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“I think, through really hard work, we’re starting to ꦇget there. You are starting to see that.

“From Monaco onwards, I have had much more consistent performances. The pole position that we had in the 🌼last race felt reminiscent of the olden days for me.

“That g✨ives me hope that we’re going in the right direct🌳ion.

“Hopefully it’s the same for our team.”

Red Bull h💎ave been F1’s dominant force since Max Verstappen claimed his first title aౠt the notorious 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Mercedes’ improvements 💛were highlighted by Hamilton’s pole position in Hungary last week, although he lost the lead of the grand prix by the first turn.