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Upgraded Mercedes gives Lewis Hamilton extra motivation in Russia

Lewis Hamilton says performance updates to his Mercedes car have motivated him to push even harder at this weekend's Russian Grand Prix.

The four-time world champion leads Sebastian Vettel by 40 points in the drivers' standings and is closing in on his fifth title after winning four of the last five races. He took a solid step towards making it five from six on Friday after setting the fastest time in second practice and finishing the session over half a second ahead of Vettel.

He was helped by updates to the front and rear wing on his Mercedes and said the team's efforts to improve the car so late in the season had inspired him to get the best possible result from the weekend.