Hamilton saw Ferrari and Renault “closer” to Mercedes
In an interview with The Independent, Lewis Hamilton reflected on his season start and his motivation in pursuit of a second Formula 1 title, after his 2008 victory.
With three victories in four Grand Prix races and a second-place in the overall standings, Lewis Hamilton is the man in form at the start of this season: « I feel that I am at my best. What I have in mind is very, very clear, the process I’m going through works very well, and I’m committed to it. »
The man in shape, but also at the wheel of the car of the moment in the team of the moment: « Same thing for the car, it gives me an incredible feeling. I’ve never had a car like this and a team like this, capable of giving me this car. It’s so unreal. It’s hard to believe what’s actually happening. »
An almost ideal start to the season reminds him how significant the decision to leave McLaren was for his renewal: « When I look at what happened in recent years, the decision to come here, the positive year I had last season, and this exceptional start to the year… Wow! I am blown away. »
A success for the star brand that relies on a particularly efficient engine block: I never thought, at any moment, that it would be like this, even though I knew that we would be strong in terms of the engine because I could see the work being done, the facilities, and the people. Far more efficient than the expectations the 2008 world champion had placed in himself and the competition: Obviously, I thought the others would be closer at the engine level.
The beginnings of the Mercedes W05 were delicate, but the continuation proved excellent: it even outperformed some legendary single-seaters such as the McLaren MP4-4 of 1988, Williams FW14C of 1992, or the Ferrari F2004 of 2004. « With the car, when we tried it during the first test it didn’t seem good and then during the second tests it didn’t seem spectacular, but we were always fast. […] Since then, the car has continued to be stronger with each race » explained Hamilton.
The only shadow on the horizon, ultimately, was the British driver’s retirement due to engine problems in the early laps of the very first Grand Prix of the season in Melbourne. A complete zero that could potentially be costly at the end of the season, if the Silver Arrows remain reliable: « I could only tell you at the end of the year if I will regret what happened [in Australia]. For now, I am happy to have reduced the gap, but Nico is still leading the championship. It shows how difficult it is to get back [ahead] and that I need to continue performing like I did recently in China. »
Currently, Nico Rosberg leads the championship with 79 points (one win and three second-place finishes), which is four points more than Lewis Hamilton. The latter has a 33-point lead over the third in the general classification, Fernando Alonso; equivalent to a victory and a sixth place. Mercedes is at the top of the constructors’ standings with 154 points against 57 for Red Bull, their closest rival.
