Despite holding a 14-point lead in the Formula One drivers’ championship, Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari has the best car and Sebastian Vettel is the best performing driver at the moment.
Hamilton doubts Ricciardo will join him at Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton thinks it is unlikely Monaco Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo will be his Mercedes teammate in 2019.
After six races Hamilton, Vettel and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo all have two wins each but the Mercedes driver leads the way on 110 points ahead of Vettel on 96 and Ricciardo on 72. Vettel has scored the most pole positions of the three drivers, with three to his name, and Hamilton is still convinced his German rival has the fastest car.
“It’s definitely a three-way fight and Ferrari, I think, are still the strongest,” Hamilton said. “Their car was quick in Monaco, their car was working quite well through the whole season so far and they have dropped the ball a few times and we’ve capitalised on that.
“So we are further ahead than we would be if everyone had done the same job, if you know what I mean. But I still feel that they’re the strongest and Sebastian has been doing the strongest job. But it is a three-way battle.”
Hamilton believes Red Bull is set to get stronger with an engine upgrade in Canada and expects all three teams to continue to fight for victories, Espn reports.
“I think Red Bull potentially have got an upgrade coming at some stage, engine-wise I think at the next race, so it will be interesting to see their performance and they will continue to get stronger through the year. So hopefully, while maybe the race was not the most exciting, it’s great for the fans to see this battle that we have.
“I’m telling you, we’re doing everything we can to win the race and then the Red Bulls win it and then the Ferraris win it and then we win. It’s great to have that. I personally love it and it’s challenging me more than I can express. It’s the biggest challenge that I’ve had with my boys, but I’m loving that challenge.
“I’m loving having to dig super deep in my technical knowledge and learning more and how I can communicate, how I can really pick the right set-up and get it right for the weekend – all these different things. I’m enjoying that.”
