Ferrari is still the team to beat after Formula 1’s summer break despite Lewis Hamilton’s championship lead, according to both the Briton and his rival Sebastian Vettel.
It is generally accepted that the Scuderia just has the edge over Mercedes this season, thanks mostly to their considerable engine gains which has seen them overtake the Brackley-based team in the performance stakes.
However, rain during the German Grand Prix and in qualifying in Budapest saw Hamilton come out on top as Vettel crashed at Hockenheim and fell behind the Briton at the Hungaroring, ultimately finishing second in the race.
As a result, the reigning champion has a 24-point lead heading into the final nine races of the season but he insists nothing is settled.
“We are racing a team that is faster than us this year,” he told Formula1.com.
“Last year we were quite balanced, as there were some weekends they were faster than us and some weekends we were faster than them but this year it is swinging more in their direction.
“We are having to over-deliver on race weekends and pull out more on weekends where we are not quick enough. The pressure to extract every millimetre of every ounce is greater than ever if I want to be number one at the end.”
Also Read:
- Hamilton: Ferrari faster but Mercedes a better team
- Vettel rues the “big impact” of a “small mistake” during the German GP
It was this point last year that Mercedes asserted themselves over Ferrari with Hamilton taking wins in Spa and Monza before Vettel’s run of retirements in Singapore and Suzuka.
Insisting that the negative moments that have happened are now behind him, Sebastian is sure history will not repeat itself in 2018.
“Last year, we lost the championship I think because our car wasn’t quick enough to be a match in the final part of the season, despite what happened with the DNFs,” he also told the official F1 website.
“So I hope that this year, and I think this year has shown so far that our car is more efficient, our car is stronger and still has a lot of potential to unleash.
“I’m quite confident with what’s sitting in the pipeline that we can improve. So we’ll see. It should be an exciting second part of the year.”
