Lewis Hamilton is remaining coy over his chances of taking a third victory in four races at this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.

Hamilton ended the second practice session in third place with team-mate George Russell taking the top spot on the timesheet.

The seven-time world champion enters the round at Zandvoort having inherited the win from Russell last time out in Belgium.

Mercedes has brought itself into contention at the front of the field across the last handful of events and enjoyed a strong opening day to proceedings in the Netherlands, with Hamilton highlighting the vast difference compared to 12 months ago.

“I felt okay today. It was not a bad start to the weekend,” Hamilton said.

“A big, big difference compared to last year. The car is definitely feeling more alive, and right up there at the front.

“We understand the car so much better now so to start off on the right foot from the get-go, and just making small tweaks from there, is definitely very, very helpful. It makes our job more enjoyable.

“There is still performance left. I’ve got to work a little bit on the set-up. Otherwise, it’s good.”

Hamilton’s strong streak of results has seen him score 62 points across the last three races – the highest figure of any driver on the grid

When asked if he is in the mix for the win at Zandvoort, Hamilton replied: “I don’t know whether or not it’s for the win. But we’re definitely… at least we’re in the top five.”