London: Lewis Hamilton’s Belgian Grand Prix victory at the weekend means the Mercedes driver can take the lead in the Formula One (F1) World Championship with another victory in Italy at Ferrari’s home Monza circuit Sunday.
The Briton is not about to breathe a sigh of relief, however. Spa, the sport’s longest track and one of the fastest, was no afternoon cruise for the triple World Champion even if he won from a record-equalling 68th career pole position.
Ferrari’s championship leader Sebastian Vettel was always right on Hamilton’s tail, unable to pass but waiting for a mistake that might give him a chance, and Monza will be another flat out blast.
Vettel currently has a seven point lead, the difference between a victory and second place, with Hamilton ahead 5-4 on race wins. Had the quadruple champion won, he would have been 21 points clear.
“Next race we need to get at least those seven points again,” said Hamilton. “Following that there are going to be some real difficult races coming up and I don’t know whether we are going to be able to keep Ferrari behind.
“People talk about our car being the best, that we have the fastest car, but I think it’s very difficult for anyone to truly say that because there are pros and cons between two cars and areas where we are faster and they are faster. And it seems to vary from race to race,” added the Brit.
Vettel has consistency on his side, with the German finishing all but three of his 12 races so far on the podium while Hamilton has been out of the top three in five Grands prix, and a teammate playing a supporting role.
Reuters