Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have been hit with a blow right at the start of the 2019 season, as Ferrari seem to have the upper hand going into the first grand prix in Australia.
The team from Maranello has set the pace during both weeks in Barcelona, and despite some technical and reliability issues, would go in as the most confident team on the circuit.
Speaking to the media post testing in Barcelona, Lewis Hamilton admitted that Mercedes were 0.5 seconds off Ferrari’s pace.
The Brit pointed that the 2018 season title fight, and how it panned out towards the end probably helped Ferrari devote more time towards the 2019 season car.
With Ferrari having lost out on the title with the last few races to go, Lewis Hamilton feels the focus might have shifted to the 2019 car, thereby giving the team an extra month to work on the new car.
“Obviously, during the year you have a huge group of people all working towards the championships,” Hamilton said.
“If you’re not looking like winning the world championship, out of worry you might pull some of the team off earlier.
“So, most likely, they’ve [Ferrari] started developing this car a month, at least, earlier than us. And we were pushing to win the world title, which we obviously did.
“It’s different when you’re chasing, as opposed to defending. Last year they arrived here with a car that was working well, but they’ve got even better this year.
“That’s okay, we don’t mind the challenge, the fight. It just means we’ve got to work harder.
“But I’m really, really proud of what my team had done to get us to where we are today.” he added.
Hamilton concedes that the 0.5 seconds difference isn’t being taken as a burden by the Mercedes team. They are in fact now more motivated to put in the extra hours and cut down that gap to the major title rivals.
The 5 time world champion draws inspiration from the fact that Mercedes know how to close down the gap to top, as shown by the team last season, when Ferrari held the advantage for some part of the season.
“I’m not worried, or disappointed or anything. We’re just incredibly encouraged by the fact we’re working as hard as we are. We’ve got a hill to climb, but we know how to do it.”
Commenting on the rest of the pack, Hamilton said that all the midfield teams have made progress and the grid has stacked up.
He predicts that the 2019 season could be a close one with the midfield teams too set to put pressure on the top 3.
“At the moment it’s the three teams at the top,” Hamilton said.
“But the teams at the back have closed up as far as I’m aware so the whole pack has closed up.
“Behind us, I don’t know which team is fourth but they’re a lot closer. Before it was a second gap, now it’s half a second – maybe less, which is awesome. If they have the capacity to develop like the top three teams is the question.” he added.
Do you think Mercedes can close in on the gap?
