Lewis Hamilton conceded Scuderia Ferrari were just better at the Belgian Grand Prix as he finished second behind championship rival Sebastian Vettel.
Hamilton started on pole but lost out at the start as Vettel overtook him on the Kemmel straight and he was unable to get back past him on the safety car restart.
“We gave it everything today but Ferrari just outperformed us and it was hard to match their times. I think we lost the race in the first lap and at the Safety Car restart.
“After that, it was done. They were just faster on the straights and there was nothing we could do.”
Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport brought an engine upgrade to the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps but it didn’t work out this weekend.
“We came here with an upgrade, but unfortunately Ferrari were able to match us and even go faster.
“We’ve got to find more performance and improve on the areas where they’re currently stronger than us.”
Hamilton’s second place means his championship lead has been cut to 17 points and he knows that he has to keep pushing if he is to stay ahead of Vettel.
“But the battle continues and for the sport this is really exciting.
“We will keep pushing.”
