Lewis Hamilton has conceded that Mercedes have “lost performance” since the season opener in Melbourne, but believes the Silver Arrows can bounce back.

Hamilton is still searching for his first win of the season but finds himself just nine points behind World Championship leader Sebastian Vettel with 18 races to go.

And while Hamilton does not think Mercedes are at their best, he is confident that both he and his team can turn things around.

“We’ve lost performance since Melbourne, and maybe more so [in China],” Hamilton told Motorsport.com.

“So we are second- or third-fastest team at the moment, so we’ve got some improving to do, but that’s not impossible.