Mercedes will be able to take on Red Bull in Abu Dhabi, says Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes has been back at the front since the second half of the season. The German team took its first win of the year and its first one-two at the Brazilian Grand Prix. The Yas Marina circuit is totally different in design from the Interlagos track, where the silver arrows dominated. However, Lewis Hamilton believes his team can compete with Red Bull for victory.
While we were expecting a withdrawal of the Mercedes cars in this last Grand Prix of the season, the German cars quickly showed their performance by taking the first two places in the first free practice session. The trend was reversed during the second session which took place at night, but the Mercedes were still at the forefront behind Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.
A good rhythm and room for improvement.
“The first training session was quite good, the second training session was a bit off. We made some changes between the two and they simply weren’t the right ones,” he said in an interview with Sky Sports after finishing 4th in the second free practice session. However, the British driver believes that with thorough work, the silver arrows will be able to fight for the victory.
« But we will work hard from day to day and we are generally here, so I hope we can have a good fight.
A close gap with the Red Bull.
The Red Bull’s pace seems superior according to the seven-time world champion, however the Mercedes are not far behind and could compete with the Austrian cars during the race. « I think the Red Bulls look a bit faster here, which is expected. We didn’t expect this to be our best race. »
A record in sight
It is good news for Lewis Hamilton who could hold the record for the most consecutive seasons with a win if he manages to win on Sunday. He is currently tied with Michael Schumacher with 15 consecutive seasons where he has won a Grand Prix.
