Listen to this article After a difficult start to the 2022 campaign for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, a raft of upgrades introduced at Barcelona last weekend transformed the pace of the W13. Russell battled the Red Bulls on his way to a podium finish, but it was Hamilton’s charge from near the back of the field on lap one to finish fifth that has really encouraged the German car manufacturer. Team boss Toto Wolff says Hamilton’s pace suggested that Mercedes had the quickest package overall, and offered a glimmer of belief that the team’s previous title-winning form was back within grasp. “That looked like a world championship-winning race car that he was driving, and that would have not been possible in the previous races,” said Wolff about Hamilton. “That reminded me of last year and the years before, when a car is really on the top of its game.” Asked if he therefore believed that Mercedes now believed it could haul itself in to the championship fight between Ferrari and Red Bull, Wolff said: “I’ve seen a race car today that reminded me of the race cars of previous seasons, where you’re 30 plus seconds behind the whole field, and yo …