Lewis Hamilton claims Mercedes can win more races in 2013 – Formula 1 news
Lewis Hamilton believes that Mercedes have got the potential to win more races in the 2013 Formula 1 season, but the tyre wear situation needs to be handled properly in order to achieve positive results.
The Briton said, “I really do feel that this team is just going to continue to improve through the year. Once we understand these tyres more, which we will eventually get to, then I think another win is definitely on the books.”
Mercedes had struggled with tyre degradation since their comeback to the sport in 2010. However, the team managed to improve its pace with the passage of time and came into a position to win races occasionally last year.
This year though, the German squad has looked even more threatening, especially in terms of a single lap pace. Out of the first six races of the season, the Silver Arrows car has been on pole for four times.
However, the situation has been completely different, when it comes to the race pace. Mercedes have only managed to win one race because of the fact that their drivers Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have been unable to save tyres better than most of their rivals.
Moreover, the lone victory of the team came at the Monte Carlo track in Monaco, where overtaking is almost impossible until a driver makes a blunder in any of the corners.
Therefore, there is still a doubt over whether Mercedes have got rid of the tyre wear issues. If not, they will definitely end up struggling in the next few rounds until they make some drastic changes to the set up of their car.
Other than the performance issues, the Brackley based team has been hit by a private test controversy, which they conducted with Pirelli after the fifth race of the season.
On that controversy, Hamilton added, “I think it's important that we just stay focused and don't be distracted by a lot of stuff that's around us. It's so easy to do that (be distracted), and especially for the drivers and the team when we are at the track.
I think it's important we just keep our minds clear and just keep doing the job at hand.”
During the previous race, reigning champions Red Bull raced under protest and some of the other top teams have joined them too, which has spiced up the situation.
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