Lewis Hamilton says Formula 1 is in for “one hell of a second half of the season” considering how many teams are capable of fighting for victories.

Seven drivers from four different teams have won races in the opening 14 rounds this year, with Sergio Perez currently the only driver from Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes yet to record win. Hamilton has won two of the past three races – and Mercedes three of the past four – and said that having so many different teams and drivers in the fight has set things up beautifully for after the summer break.

“It’s great,” Hamilton said. “It’s really fantastic, I think, for the sport to be having such close teams and drivers. And the pedigree of drivers at the top today are really elite and amazing.

“We didn’t expect to be competing with the McLarens or the Red Bulls at this point in the season, with how we started off. So for us to now have closed up and be [in the mix], it’s going to be one hell of a second half of the season, for sure.”

According to Hamilton, Mercedes’ step forward is partially due to gains that have allowed both himself and teammate George Russell to have more confidence throughout all types of corners.

“Just overall, the car is… We’re more comfortable in the car,” he said. “The balance through low to medium to high are all much more in line with what we had targeted.”

Although Russell had his victory in Belgium taken away due to his car being underweight during post-race checks, he agreed with Hamilton that the rest of 2024 should be thrilling, and said that he expects it to set multiple teams up for title runs next season.

“I think for all of us, it’s been a difficult couple of years getting the car into a place where we can consistently fight for victories,” Russell said. “But I’m so motivated, so excited for the second half of the season, which is ultimately building up towards 2025. And when you look at the competition now, there’s no reason why we can’t fight.

“If the season started in Montreal, the championship standings would be looking very, very different. So, it’s going to be great. I think there’s so much motivation from all the other teams to get back to the front, from McLaren, from Ferrari, from ourselves. So for sure, it’s not going to be easy, and hopefully we see a good fight on our hands into next year.”