Lewis Hamilton warns Mercedes team to get its act together as he admits he could blow lead

Lewis Hamilton has called on his Mercedes team to get its act together or risk squandering his seemingly inevitable sixth world championship.

The Briton was angry when a strategic mistake meant he was pitted too late to challenge the Ferrari one-two led by Sebastian Vettel and finished fourth at last Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix.

Although Hamilton is 96 points ahead of his closest non-Mercedes rival, Charles Leclerc, with 156 available, he is cracking the whip after his serially successful team have slightly lost their way in recent weeks while Ferrari have belatedly surged.

‘We did such a great job at the beginning of the year,’ said Hamilton. ‘But I am under no illusion that my gap in the championship could disappear. It is not won yet. We need to pull our socks up and get on with it.

‘We can squeeze more out of this car and individually we can do better. We don’t feel great right now but that is a good thing. If anyone in the team feels relaxed they need talking to, because we should all be feeling the pain.

‘We will go to the next race and try to rev ourselves up and do a better job. These next few races are going to be tough.’

Hamilton is ‘under no illusion’ that his lead at the top of the championship could disappear

There is no time to waste with the Russian Grand Prix coming this Sunday in Sochi before the final five rounds of the season.

Hamilton said there are no upgrades planned for Russia and that, ‘clearly the Ferraris work really well everywhere and will be very hard to beat’.

Hamilton is still 96 points ahead of his closest non-Mercedes rival, Charles Leclerc, but he said: ‘I am under no illusion that my gap in the championship could disappear. It is not won yet. We need to pull our socks up.

‘We can squeeze more out of this car and individually we can do better. If anyone in the team feels relaxed, they need talking to, because we should all be feeling the pain.’