Analysis
Formula 1
Analysis: Hamilton DRS issue shows details could decide F1 2017 title
With so little to choose speed wise between Mercedes and Ferrari in the fight for Formula 1 honours this season, both sides are facing up to the reality that the battle will most likely be decided by the tiniest of details.
Jonathan Noble
Edited: Apr 26, 2017, 4:28 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
In fact, Lewis Hamilton believes that a small DRS issue in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix – where it failed to engage on the back straight and cost him valuable tenths – shows that just one small thing going wrong can now be the difference between success and defeat.
For without that time lost, Hamilton could have been on pole position in Bahrain, and that may have been enough to keep him clear of Sebastian Vettel at the start and produce a totally different outcome to the race.
It was the way that the Bahrain weekend turned on something so simple that was behind Hamilton not brushing off losing to Ferrari as well as he did after the Australian Grand Prix – when it was time lost behind Max Verstappen after the first stops that ultimately cost him.
"If anyone ever thinks that a driver, or I, should feel happy with second... you know, I don't know what to say. That's not why we exist," said Hamilton in the wake of his Bahrain performance.
"Of course we've had the second before... when you have a strong, good fight, it's a good feeling. So I feel good if I get on the podium, but then you think about, there's certain things - you know – that happened.
"I lost two tenths from Turn 10 to 11, the DRS didn't engage in qualifying. I lost half a tenth out of the last corner, so should have easily been on pole.
"Then I lost position at the start, solely my fault. Then you've got the time lost in the pitlane... and you practice and practice and practice and practice and practice... and you only have 20 opportunities this year.
"So when you f*** up, man, it's painful, there's no other way of saying it. When you guys mess up in your job, I don't know how you feel about it, but particularly when it has big consequences potentially, I'm sure you feel gutted as well. And I try to handle it the best way I can.
"But it eats you up a little bit inside and you just got to end up trying to... cope and move forward."
Hamilton is well aware that the defeats in Australia and Bahrain owed much to the increased tyre use that Mercedes has compared to Ferrari.
However, he still feels that the potential in there in the package that if everything does go right then Ferrari can still be beaten.
He added: "In Australia, I don't remember it being particularly any, necessarily, massive fault of my own, in the sense that I'd run out of tyres and had to pit, it was just the circumstances I was faced with.
"But [in Bahrain] there was certain things, if they were perfect, I would've been in a much better position to fight for the win. And I didn't put myself in that position."
With the performance between Ferrari and Mercedes so close, Hamilton is aware that any gaps that open up in races are unlikely to be closed down, as fightbacks will not be possible.
That is why slips up like Bahrain – especially when they mount on top of each other – are more costly in the current situation.
But he says that such a scenario is not a bad thing.
"It's a small percentage, which is what racing should be all about," explained the Mercedes driver. "We want to be operating in the top end and not doing a good enough percent by one percent and losing the race. But I think that's what's going to be about this year.
"I think that's exciting and that means that all of us in the team need to be operating at the maximum level weekend in, weekend out. If you look at 20 races from last year, five or maybe more, I don't know, weren't perfect, but then others were awesome.
"Every year my goal is to increase the number of the awesome races, so minimise how many dips you have. I think the first race was still a high, second record still a high and this one a bit of a dip, so I'll try to bring it back up in the next one."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article First lap charges "critical" in F1 2017, says Perez
Next article Early planning for 2017 paying off for Haas - Steiner
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Jonathan Noble
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Formula 1
Formula 1
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
Formula 1
Formula 1
Australian GP
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
More from
Lewis Hamilton
How Mercedes can win F1’s world constructors’ title at Brazil GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
6 h
How Mercedes can win F1’s world constructors’ title at Brazil GP
The 'difference' between Kimi Antonelli's F1 title and Lewis Hamilton's according to Toto Wolff
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
The 'difference' between Kimi Antonelli's F1 title and Lewis Hamilton's according to Toto Wolff
More from
Mercedes
Max Verstappen jokes about key difference with Kimi Antonelli at 20: “He speaks Italian!”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
5 h
Max Verstappen jokes about key difference with Kimi Antonelli at 20: “He speaks Italian!”
Kimi Antonelli almost had to retire in Mexico due to an oil leak
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
5 h
Kimi Antonelli almost had to retire in Mexico due to an oil leak
Latest news
Jorge Martin passed fit to practice at Qatar Grand Prix
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
2 h
Jorge Martin passed fit to practice at Qatar Grand Prix
Pedro Acosta signs Monster as personal sponsor
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
2 h
Pedro Acosta signs Monster as personal sponsor
How young can a Formula 1 world champion actually be?
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 2 h
How young can a Formula 1 world champion actually be?
Sebastien Ogier tipped for partial WRC 2027 programme
WRC
WRC WRC 4 h
Sebastien Ogier tipped for partial WRC 2027 programme
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1960s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1960s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe