Tyre trouble leaves Lewis feeling so flat
LEWIS HAMILTON will have talks with his Mercedes team as he tries to get on top of the problems threatening to derail his challenge for a fourth world title.
The Briton is 25 points behind leader Sebastian Vettel following the Ferrari driver’s third win from the opening six rounds of the season in Monaco.
Hamilton was upbeat after a disappointing show at F1’s most famous race but admitted he can’t afford another bad weekend if he is to halt his rival.
Hamilton’s season has been blighted by a struggle with this year’s new Pirelli tyres. Oddly, it is not an issue affecting his team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
The Briton said: “We have to see if we can do a better job. We are under no illusion that we are not perfect and have areas to improve on.
“There are so many things we need to look into, to try and understand why one car can make the tyres work and the other cannot.
“Trust me, we’ ll be pushing to understand it as we don’t want to be in this position again.”
Vettel’s victory in Monaco was aided by Ferrari’s strategy which enabled him to get ahead of his teammate and pole-sitter Kimi Raikkonen during their only round of pit stops.
Hamilton then suggested that Ferrari’s tactics was evidence Vettel is being given preferential treatment by the Italian constructor.
But he insists he has no intention of seeking No.1 status at Mercedes for the final 14 races of the season.
He added: “I haven’t spoken to the team and don’t plan to. Valtteri has been doing a great job and don’t feel like we have to favour one over the other.
“I still believe we can win this thing. Twenty five points is a long way away and it is hard just to get to six points and be within firing range but we’ll chip away at it.”
Hamilton will head to Montreal for the next stop on the Grand Prix calendar a week on Sunday. It’s a track which has been kind to him in the past, winning there five times, including his first race there back in 2007.
But Ferrari’s resurgence and his car troubles makes a sixth victory far from a foregone conclusion.