Lewis Hamilton is expecting an intense and close fight for the title against Ferrari at the Shanghai Circuit.
Mercedes will try their best to win their first race of this year at Chinese Grand Prix.
Shanghai circuit had been good to Hamilton, as he had recorded five wins in the last 10 races at it. But British driver finds the circuit more suitable for his contender Sebastian Vettel, who has started the season with victories.
Hamilton said: “They are going to be hard to beat.
“Their straight-line speed has been faster than ours and we have the longest straights here. So I anticipate they are going to be very fast.”
Even though Mercedes was able to mark 4 continuous victories at Chinese GP in the last four races. The circuit had become the lucky charm for Hamilton, where he was able to take pole positions along with trophies.
He added: “It should be a good track for us but I think it is going to be a lot closer than you think.”
Ferrari and Mercedes had locked horns in their strategic battles, where Ferrari outran the latter.
Vettel is currently running the show with 17 points lead, with Hamilton on the chase with 33 points.
Vettel said: “The first two races have been quite different so it is not straightforward to predict the next one. I think Mercedes are still the favourite going in but if we do our homework and get the car balance right, it should be a good weekend.”
Miscalculations let the Mercedes slip a winning opportunity for Hamilton at Australian GP, while at Bahrain Mercedes strategy put Ferrari’s win at risk but Vettel was able to manage tyres longer than expected.
Hamilton said: “We performed well but Ferrari outperformed us. We need to bring our A game every weekend, especially given how close it is. It is going to take a serious, unified approach and all of us need to be on top of everything, including myself.”
Hamilton is looking forward at the season for title.
“The title is not won or lost in two races where you finish second and third,” he said. “I count those as relatively strong weekends.
“I know there will be potentially harder weekends to come but those two experiences just build strength. However, you definitely don’t want to fall any further behind than we have.”
