‘Lucky’ Hamilton fears Ferrari backlash in Japan

SEPANG, Malaysia: Lewis Hamilton rode his luck for the second race in a row to stretch his world championship lead over Sebastian Vettel but said he fears a Ferrari backlash in Japan this week.

After finishing second in the Malaysian Grand Prix, Hamilton was asked by reporters if Ferrari’s pace was a big concern. “Yeah, definitely,” he said.

“We have some work to do,” he added before flying to Japan to prepare for Sunday’s race at Suzuka.

“These next races are going to be crucial in terms of ironing out some of the creases we have with the car.”

Hamilton took his lead to 34 points after finishing behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the final running of the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang on Sunday.

But the drive of the day was from the flying Vettel who carved his way from the back of the grid to finish fourth.

Hami lton’s Mercedes also st ruggled for raw pace in Singapore a fortnight ago.

But there he took a surprise win from fifth on the grid after avoiding the f irst- lap crash that took out both Ferraris and Verstappen.

“We cannot be distracted by the fact we got lucky again this weekend,” said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

“Benefiting from Ferrari’s problems shouldn’t hide that they have caught up 30 seconds this race,” he said. — AFP