Share this article on LinkedIn Email

Lewis Hamilton believes Mercedes should not have to head into the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend racing on tyres it has never tested.

Mercedes has been banned from taking part in the forthcoming young driver test as a punishment for illegally running its 2013 car during a Pirelli test at Barcelona earlier this year.

Its absence means that it will be the only outfit not able to try out the new Pirelli tyres at Silverstone ahead of the next race at the Hungaroring.

Although Mercedes has enquired about the possibility of getting some running on the new tyres at Silverstone, such a go-ahead is believed to be unlikely.

"I don't know if people fully appreciate how big a negative it is for us not doing the test," said Hamilton.

"We're going to go to Hungary when other people have run different ride heights and tested different pressures, and got their car ready for a long run.

"We won't have any of that information, so we're going to go into it blind.

"We shouldn't be in this position in the sport but that's the way it is."

When asked if he felt hard done by because of the young driver test ban, Hamilton said: "I'm not saying I'm hard done by.

"I'm just saying in a sport everything should just be equal, you shouldn't be going to races like that. But that's the way it is."

Mercedes is still awaiting clarification from the FIA about the exact plans for the young driver test, and whether there is any scope for it to be allowed to run because the test is no longer just restricted to rising stars.