Despite topping the final day of testing, and overall looking pretty quick, Lewis Hamilton has somewhat downplayed his chances of victory this season.
The British racer spoke after the second Barcelona test, and said the team were not targeting victories. Particularly for the first race, where the main aim is a top 10 finish.
Hamilton made the dramatic and highly talked about switch from McLaren to Mercedes for this season, saying he needed a "fresh challenge" and that he wanted to help build the team up, turning them in to a winning team.
But despite good signals coming out of testing, with a now reliable and fast car, he has said points finishes are the main aim for himself and the team.
Talking to Sky Sports F1, Lewis was asked whether there was any indication that Mercedes could challenge for victories in 2013. He replied, saying "I haven't seen anything just yet, we're not looking at wins at the moment. We're hoping to get in to the points this year; we're hoping to get in to the top ten.
"It doesn't mean it's impossible but I think people are talking us up at the moment with (Sebastian) Vettel and I think Fernando (Alonso) saying I'm going to be competing for the world championship. Well I really don't see that happening at the moment. Of course that's our goal but you've got to remember the car was sometimes two seconds off last year and we've not caught two seconds up. And the teams will have put on another second this year so we've not gained three seconds; that's just a fact. Hopefully by the end of the year we will have gained three seconds - that's our goal - but definitely not at the beginning."
However he emphasised that the W04's main disadvantage is through its lack of down force, saying "Down force is not as great, but we have some coming so we are excited about that."
"The down force factor is what everyone is pushing massively hard for, because the team has obviously run, completed races and even won a race last year, so they clearly have not such a bad foundation in terms of the mechanical side of the car, in terms of down force that is where we need to improve."
Team-mate Nico Rosberg spoke earlier in the week about the teams progress, talking more positively about the consistent progress being made. He said “The car is definitely a big step forward. It feels very nice to drive with a good balance. It is a massive step. Take the rear. We had massive problems with tyre heating and losing grip and all that. That seems to be history now. And that is really a massive change.”
Are Mercedes purposely downplaying their chances, hiding their true pace and happiness with the car? I do not know, but the W04 does look quick and I reckon Lewis can still win in 2013, maybe not in Australia but certainly further down the line.
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| (c) Sky Sports F1 |
Hamilton made the dramatic and highly talked about switch from McLaren to Mercedes for this season, saying he needed a "fresh challenge" and that he wanted to help build the team up, turning them in to a winning team.
But despite good signals coming out of testing, with a now reliable and fast car, he has said points finishes are the main aim for himself and the team.
Talking to Sky Sports F1, Lewis was asked whether there was any indication that Mercedes could challenge for victories in 2013. He replied, saying "I haven't seen anything just yet, we're not looking at wins at the moment. We're hoping to get in to the points this year; we're hoping to get in to the top ten.
"It doesn't mean it's impossible but I think people are talking us up at the moment with (Sebastian) Vettel and I think Fernando (Alonso) saying I'm going to be competing for the world championship. Well I really don't see that happening at the moment. Of course that's our goal but you've got to remember the car was sometimes two seconds off last year and we've not caught two seconds up. And the teams will have put on another second this year so we've not gained three seconds; that's just a fact. Hopefully by the end of the year we will have gained three seconds - that's our goal - but definitely not at the beginning."
However he emphasised that the W04's main disadvantage is through its lack of down force, saying "Down force is not as great, but we have some coming so we are excited about that."
"The down force factor is what everyone is pushing massively hard for, because the team has obviously run, completed races and even won a race last year, so they clearly have not such a bad foundation in terms of the mechanical side of the car, in terms of down force that is where we need to improve."
Team-mate Nico Rosberg spoke earlier in the week about the teams progress, talking more positively about the consistent progress being made. He said “The car is definitely a big step forward. It feels very nice to drive with a good balance. It is a massive step. Take the rear. We had massive problems with tyre heating and losing grip and all that. That seems to be history now. And that is really a massive change.”
Are Mercedes purposely downplaying their chances, hiding their true pace and happiness with the car? I do not know, but the W04 does look quick and I reckon Lewis can still win in 2013, maybe not in Australia but certainly further down the line.
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