Lewis questions Ferrari’s ‘tricks’

LEWIS HAMILTON claimed Ferrari had played ‘tricks’ with their cars, after Sebastian Vettel comfortably won the Belgian Grand Prix. The world champion’s comments seemed to suggest he was questioning the legality of the Ferraris. Hamilton said: ‘They have got a few trick things going on in the car, so we have got to keep pushing to see if we can catch up.’ Asked if he was implying his rivals were cheating, Hamilton said: ‘I don’t know what is on their car, so I can’t tell you either way.’ His remarks, later partially withdrawn, reflected a degree of disbelief within Mercedes at Ferrari’s superior pace. Although Hamilton was faster than Vettel in the wet during qualifying and took pole position, he could not match Vettel’s extra speed in the dry race and was passed on the first lap. By the race finish, Hamilton was 11 seconds behind Vettel. Vettel’s win cut Hamilton’s championship lead to 17 points. Hamilton’s remarks rekindle a dispute that flared up around the Monaco Grand Prix in May, when Mercedes felt Ferrari were gaining an unfair advantage relating to their battery. The complaint was investigated by the FIA and dismissed. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said: ‘It is human nature that if you are outperformed, you look at yourself and at your competitors. And, if you can’t find an explanation, you suspect all the nasty things.’ FIA race director Charlie Whiting was ‘quite amused’ by the furore, saying: ‘We know quite a lot about the Ferrari car and there is no way Lewis would know anything about it. ‘Ferrari are doing a good job and Mercedes have got to try to counter that, haven’t they? ‘Clearly, if Ferrari have got things going on, all of us at the FIA are happy with them.’