Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and his racing engineer are likely to have constructive conversations in the next few days.
During the race last Sunday in Bahrain, Hamilton seemed annoyed not to receive enough information on the strategy of his rivals, as on the pace he had to follow. It may not have grown as well as expected during the Grand Prix.
It must be said that the low wall, at Mercedes, was not in an optimal situation. Sebastian Vettel’s one-stop strategy caught the strategists of the German team off guard.
“When you try to catch up with a driver who’s 25 seconds ahead [Sebastian Vettel], find out exactly what you have to do to not kill your tires, so you’ll always be able to catch up with your pursuer at the end, it’s difficult.” Hamilton said.
“It was just hard to know how much I could push on my tires at the start of the relays, “said a rather annoyed Lewis Hamilton today.
“At one point I understood that Ferrari was going to make two saves, and that they would not make a single stop in the race.
“Given this information, I had to save my tires: so, when Sebastian Vettel came back to me at the end of the race, I could always fight.” Hamilton added.
Sebastian Vettel recorded his second consecutive victory this season after repulsing of Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas on Sunday. (Source:www.albawaba.com)
A microphone problem actually disabled Mercedes communication. After the gearbox problem encountered in Melbourne, it is another slight concern for reliability that has affected the German team.
“The radio was not working as it should. During the race I had some frustrating moments when they could not hear me. I could hear them, but they kept telling me ‘we can not hear you’.” Hamilton said.
“In the heat of the moment it’s hard to know what information you need to communicate. And when you try to give your feedback at the exit of a turn, you forget to take the perfect path.
“The gaps are very marginal today. As a result, the importance of communications is enhanced. This kind of little things can make the difference, can cost us seven points or not.
“In this kind of race, we cannot afford to lose to Ferrari. We should have won in Bahrain. And because of our operational and communication difficulties, we lost it.” Hamilton added.
The Brit has made the podium on both occasions so far this season but he is already facing a tough battle to regain his Formula 1 champion alongside his rivals.
