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Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari would have a front-row finish if the Bahrain Grand Prix were to be held during testing week. The Briton refuted Carlos Sainz's claims that Mercedes were hyping up rival teams to masque their own true potential.
On being asked which team would be the strongest if the season opener were scheduled during test week, Lewis Hamilton said:
“I think Ferrari, for what I can see, today Ferrari would probably be getting a one-two. Maybe Red Bull.”
The British champion believes Ferrari and Red Bull would be stronger than his team if the Bahrain GP were to be held during the test week. Out of the two competitors, Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari will score a front-row finish at ease around the Bahrain circuit.
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Asked where Mercedes stack up in the pecking order judging by the second day of testing, the Briton said:
“I really don’t know.”
Based on the Mercedes driver’s reply, it seems the team has been struggling to find its place at the front with teething issues. The British driver was clear he had no clue where his team stacked against their rivals in the pecking order based on two days of testing.
Lewis Hamilton refutes Carlos Sainz's claims about Mercedes sandbagging their performance
The Mercedes driver refuted the Ferrari driver’s claims about Mercedes faking their struggles in Bahrain. Sainz had suggested that the GPS data indicated that the Brackley-based outfit was closer in performance than it portrayed itself to be. The seven-time world champion, however, suggested that they would have to be extremely competitive and strong to be faking their struggles.
Commenting on Sainz’s claims, the Briton said:
“We’ll be really really really good if we were having all these oversteer moments and having us tacky driving just to hide our cars. It’s not the case, no. We definitely have things that we are trying to get through, I think others are struggling less, but maybe when we get to next week we’ll have a bit of an understanding.”
According to the Mercedes champion, they cannot fake their oversteer and balance issues with the car. The Briton revealed that the team are yet to overcome their struggles and get their package to work.
