Sport
F1 title fight warms up, plus all the latest news
THREE-TIME Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has called on his Mercedes squad to pull out all the stops in pursuit of victory in this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix.
Last time out in Bahrain, the British ace finished second to Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel for the second time in three races, leaving him trailing the German by seven points in the standings.
“Ferrari did a great job,” explained Hamilton. “But we are going to push hard together – re-gather as a team – and come back fighting. It is all small, fine percentages that will make the difference between winning and coming second.”
Hamilton certainly has strong form at Russia’s Sochi circuit, where he’s notched up two wins since the event joined the calendar in 2014. By contrast, arch-rival Vettel has only finished on the podium once, taking the runner-up spot in 2016.
However, Vettel’s current form suggests that he will be the man to beat in Russia, even if the four-time champ is playing down his chances. “Maybe we are quicker than Mercedes at the moment, but we still have lots of work ahead of us,” he claimed. “The car is very good in the race, but not quick enough to match [Mercedes] in qualifying. There is a lot of homework ahead of us, but the team is very happy, they’re passionate and full of energy to keep working harder.”
At the other end of the grid, Mclaren is hoping for a change of fortune after a torrid start to 2017. The former championship winner currently sits at the bottom of the table, after both cars failed to finish in
Bahrain; Fernando Alonso retired a few laps before the end, while Stoffel Vandoorne’s Honda power unit broke before the start.
However, there are encouraging signs for the squad. It completed 81 trouble-free laps in testing after the Bahrain race, while Vandoorne set the fourth-fastest lap time.