Lewis Hamilton has admitted he isn’t expecting to challenge for wins with Mercedes next season after agreeing to join the team from McLaren.
Mercedes’ team principal Ross Brawn however is hopeful that the Brackley based outfit can deliver a car capable of challenging the front-runners – despite their current form.
“I hope so,” Brawn told Autosport when asked if Hamilton’s comments were a bit too pessimistic.
“Obviously we’re working very hard to give both him and Nico the opportunity to win and take pole positions. That’s our ambition, our objective.”
With the 2013 regulations being near identical to the present season, many within the paddock expect Mercedes will struggle again as they try to catch up, but Brawn is confident they can achieve their objectives.
“It’s obviously critical we improve from where we are. We’re going to try [even] if we don’t hit all our objectives next year. You never know what other people will do.”
Meanwhile he doesn’t believe Hamilton’s McLaren contract, which doesn’t expire until December 31st, will affect the transition to a new environment.
“It’s not a big problem,” he added. “There are obviously things that you start to do. You start to build the relationship with the engineers, and that can start in earnest in January.”
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