Hamilton: Mercedes "not talking BS" about Ferrari deficit
Reigning Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton says he and his Mercedes team “weren't talking BS” about their testing form and current deficit to Ferrari.

Ferrari's new SF90 car has been widely regarded as the early benchmark of the 2019 F1 field, and Hamilton suggested in Barcelona that Mercedes could be as much as half a second adrift.
Soon after that, however, the Silver Arrows unleashed more pace, and Hamilton ended the test just 0.003s slower than pace-setter Sebastian Vettel.
Ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton said it was “not difficult to read” Mercedes' testing form, and insisted the team wasn't playing mind games with its pre-season estimations.
“I think it [Mercedes' form] was quite clear, however it’s difficult to know what everyone’s doing, so naturally we won’t fully know until we get out in the car tomorrow.
“And come qualifying you get a better picture, and usually, over the first few races is when you really start to get an idea of where everyone stands.
“But we said that we have work to do and we weren’t talking BS. We have work to do.”
Read also:
Teammate Valtteri Bottas said Ferrari's car looked “maybe more stable” than his new W10 initially, and reiterated Mercedes would take extra motivation from having to chase its rival.
“I can see people very motivated, and even though we don't feel like we are the quickest at the moment, somehow there's good work ethic, motivation.
“Definitely when I was at the factory last week , I saw people are really putting a lot of effort and trying to make our package better with the tools we have here.
“It's definitely a bit [of a] different feeling to previous years. I think normally in testing at Barcelona we've been quite strong, and we've seen in the last couple of years here Ferrari being always strong.
“Now we know as a fact they are going to be really strong and we really need to improve if we want to beat them.”
Bottas insisted Mercedes had made significant gains since the end of testing, despite the W10 car not running at the track in the meantime.
“Nowadays in Formula 1 after two weeks of testing, the amount of data you have to analyse, to try to learn and improve is a lot.
“So it's been very useful two weeks since testing. I feel we have made improvements already, even though we haven't driven a single lap since testing.
“I'm confident we can be in a better shape. I'm sure every team has learned since testing, but it's only guessing at the minute.”
Hamilton stressed, however, that Mercedes “didn't bring upgrades” to Melbourne.
“Everyone takes a step after testing. The car will be fresher here, we’ll have a much better understanding of it – but I think it’s the same for everyone,” he said.
“We didn’t bring upgrades. It will be interesting to see how the Red Bull upgrade works, and I know some other people, Ferrari usually bring an upgrade for the first race, so it’ll be interesting to see.”

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 W10
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / LAT Images

Previous article
Shell contributed 21% to Ferrari's 2018 engine gains
Next article
Kubica return earns rivals' applause

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Drivers | Valtteri Bottas , Lewis Hamilton |
Teams | Ferrari , Mercedes |
Author | Valentin Khorounzhiy |
Hamilton: Mercedes "not talking BS" about Ferrari deficit
Trending
The updates Williams hopes will lead to a point-scoring return
After producing a car which demonstrated progress but lacked the points to prove it last year, Williams starts its new era of team ownership with the FW43B, its bid to continue the climb up the Formula 1 grid in 2021
How Ferrari plans to recover from its 2020 F1 nightmare
The 2020 Formula 1 season was Ferrari's worst for 40 years as it slumped to sixth in the standings. A repeat performance will not be acceptable for the proud Italian team, which has adopted a notably pragmatic approach to forging its path back to the top
Why Aston Martin’s arrival is more than just new green livery
In the most eagerly anticipated Formula 1 team launch of the season, the rebranded Aston Martin squad’s changes go much further than the striking paint job. But rather than a restart, the team hopes to build on top of solid foundations.
The car Aston Martin begins its new F1 journey with
The team formerly known as Racing Point gambled successfully on a Mercedes look-alike in 2020 as it mounted a strong challenge for third in the constructors' race and won the Sakhir GP. Now clothed in British racing green, Aston Martin's first Formula 1 challenger since 1960 provides the clearest indicator yet of what to expect from the new-for-2021 regulations
The tricky driver conundrums facing Mercedes in F1 2021
Ahead of the new Formula 1 season, reigning world champions Mercedes will take on challenges both old and new. This also can be said for its driver conundrum which could become key to sustaining its ongoing success...
How Alpine's cure to 2021 F1 rules starts at the front
A new name, new faces and new colours pulls the rebranded Alpine Formula 1 team into a new era while carrying over core elements of its 2020 car. But under the surface there's more than meets the eye with the A521 which hints at how the team will tackle 2021...
Can Mercedes' W12 retain the team's crown?
Replacing Formula 1's fastest car was never going to be an easy feat for Mercedes. Amid the technical rule tweaks to peg back the W12 and its 2021 rivals, the new Mercedes challenger will remain the target to beat
The pointed note that starts Ferrari's Leclerc vs Sainz era
Ferrari is starting its post-Sebastian Vettel age by welcoming Carlos Sainz in alongside Charles Leclerc. But while Sainz has a tough challenge to match his new teammate, Ferrari is also sending a message that previous intra-team spats must end