LEWIS: MAKE MY MERC MATCH MAX
Hamilton extends lead but isn’t happy
® LEWIS HAMILTON has warned Mercedes they must iron out the “unacceptable” issues which he fears could cost him a fourth world title.
Hamilton had to settle for second place in yesterday’s Malaysian Grand Prix, the reigning champ unable to live with the blistering pace set by Max Verstappen in his victorious Red Bull.
Despite extending his championship lead over nearest challenger Sebastian Vettel to 34 points, Hamilton revealed not all was well behind the scenes at Mercedes.
Vettel produced a superb recovery drive to finish fourth after starting last on the grid.
Difficult
Talking about his post-race discussions with team-mate Valtteri Bottas and Mercedes chief Toto Wolff, Hamilton said: “It is often the case that when you have a win there is not a lot to say and everyone is riding on positives.
“When you have a difficult day, when the s**t really hits the fan, that is when there are more questions and you go into more detail.
“There is stuff you don’t even know about that has been happening through the weekend that is not acceptable for this great team and we all know that and need to work on those areas.”
Hamilton has certainly ridden his luck over the past two races, with Ferrari and Red Bull now looking more than a match for Mercedes.
In Singapore, Hamilton grabbed a surprise win when opening-lap chaos forced Vettel, Verstappen and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen to retire.
And second place could have been beyond him at Sepang yesterday had an engine change not forced Vettel to start from the back. Raikkonen’s race was ended before a wheel had turned, the Finn also suffering a terminal power unit problem.
Hamilton conceded finding an explanation as to why Mercedes can blitz the opposition on certain circuits but struggle for such dominance at other tracks has the team puzzled.
He added: “I don’t know what I’m able to say and not say as I don’t want everyone knowing all of the problems we do have.
“It is unknown at the moment. We definitely have work to do, that is for sure. It was the best I could really do.
“It’s the way the car is. We have not got the best car and we’ve done an exceptional job with what we have.
“There are some real big problems that I can’t really explain to you.
“There are definitely positives in terms of the actual result we got. It was a bit fortunate, lucky for us.”
That luck could yet hold for Hamilton at Japan next week courtesy of a bizarre collision involving Vettel and the Williams of Lance Stroll on the slowing down lap
which destroyed the back of the Ferrari. Vettel pointed the finger of blame firmly at the young Canadian driver, although plenty of observers felt the German was at fault, while the stewards opted not to take action.
Even so, the likelihood is Vettel will need to have a new gearbox fitted for Suzuka, incurring an automatic five-place grid penalty.
Vettel said: “We should have won but starting last we did what we could. Not a great weekend but the speed is promising. The car is quick, so we have reason to believe we can be strong in Japan.” If Vettel has not enjoyed the rub of the green lately, Verstappen can point to a season of bad luck and poor reliability which has robbed him of podium finishes.
Yesterday’s victory, the second of his career coming a day after his 20th birthday, was long overdue.
Discussing the pass on lap four which saw him snatch the lead from Hamilton, the Dutchman said: “I knew Lewis had more to lose as he was fighting for the championship. I took an extra risk because of it.”