Hamilton identifies brakes as main problem

Lewis Hamilton’s main problem as he grapples to get up to speed with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg is the W04 car’s brakes, it has emerged.

Beaten to pole position by Rosberg on the last three outings, Hamilton departed Monaco last Sunday - having watched the sister car stroll to victory - vowing to get his "s--- together".

He is quoted by France’s L’Equipe as admitting that the biggest difference between his new Mercedes and his McLarens of past seasons are the brakes.

"At McLaren, I had 100 per cent confidence in the car, and I’m working to regain that confidence," said the 2008 world champion.

"The setup and the brakes are very different to what I was used to," added Hamilton.

"It’s an overall feeling that’s hard to explain. It’s not a problem of concentration, it’s just confidence in the car," he said.