Lewis Hamilton has expressed his confidence that Mercedes can win a Grand Prix in 2013.
So far the Brackley based team has scored two podium finishes, both coming from Hamilton, in Malaysia and China respectively. Despite showing strong qualifying pace after the Brit and his team-mate Nico Rosberg took back-to-back pole positions at the past two races, their 2013 machine has failed to impress to the same degree in race trim.
The 28-year-old discussed the W04's potential and the possibility of winning a race in 2013 with Martin Brundle when talking exclusively to Sky Sports F1 ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
He finished the race in fifth place after rather anonymous first stint, before climbing through the field to take the another welcome haul of points. His strong start has led to him currently sitting third in the drivers standings.
Discussing potential and possibilities for the remainder of the season he said "I am hopeful we can win this year, particularly as we have things coming in the pipeline with upgrades and improvements with the car, in some placed the degradation isn't going to be as bad (as in Bahrain) and I'm confident we can stay out front."
Mentioning tyre degradation, this is something that the Mercedes team has struggled with since the introduction of Pirelli tyres in 2011.
This was clearly evident at the last round in Bahrain where Saturday's fastest man Nico Rosberg slipped from first to ninth in the race due to excessive wear, causing a late fourth pit stop. Team-mate Hamilton suffered less than Rosberg during the race but admitted that he too suffers from the problem due to his aggressive style.
"I love going flat out and getting on it, but that's just not the way it is now," he said, a driving style that is not simply possible with the lower durability and higher sensitivity of the 2013 Pirelli compounds.
Discussing with Sky F1's Martin Brundle about his controversial move from McLaren to Mercedes, he said "everyone moves on and tried something new and I'm really enjoying it. But not because it is better - it's just different."
He continued "The team is different, there's a different set of people who I am really enjoying working with and it's a new set of challenges, which is what I wanted."
The Brit is visibly happier and more relaxed when out of the car and he admits that things are running smoothly in his life right now, something he could not sat at times during his stint with McLaren.
"I feel more comfortable in my own skin. I just feel that each year I am getting better and better and growing. I've got a great personal team around me management-wise, things are good with the family, things are good with the girlfriend, things are good with the dog."
Roscoe, Hamilton's bulldog, has since become a minor celebrity in the F1 paddock. He has even been given a paddock pass for some of the European races, giving Hamilton some company during the race weekend.
"Bit by bit you try to adjust things and make things better," he added, "and I just feel that my approach, my fitness and my mind-set seem to be better than ever."
Hamilton's more relaxed attitude has certainly been proven on track, he looked more comfortable driving the car and has more confidence. With the facilities and Brackley and his obvious talent, he will most definitely be in with a chance of winning in 2013.
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| (c) Mercedes AMG F1 Team |
The 28-year-old discussed the W04's potential and the possibility of winning a race in 2013 with Martin Brundle when talking exclusively to Sky Sports F1 ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
He finished the race in fifth place after rather anonymous first stint, before climbing through the field to take the another welcome haul of points. His strong start has led to him currently sitting third in the drivers standings.
Discussing potential and possibilities for the remainder of the season he said "I am hopeful we can win this year, particularly as we have things coming in the pipeline with upgrades and improvements with the car, in some placed the degradation isn't going to be as bad (as in Bahrain) and I'm confident we can stay out front."
Mentioning tyre degradation, this is something that the Mercedes team has struggled with since the introduction of Pirelli tyres in 2011.
This was clearly evident at the last round in Bahrain where Saturday's fastest man Nico Rosberg slipped from first to ninth in the race due to excessive wear, causing a late fourth pit stop. Team-mate Hamilton suffered less than Rosberg during the race but admitted that he too suffers from the problem due to his aggressive style.
"I love going flat out and getting on it, but that's just not the way it is now," he said, a driving style that is not simply possible with the lower durability and higher sensitivity of the 2013 Pirelli compounds.
Discussing with Sky F1's Martin Brundle about his controversial move from McLaren to Mercedes, he said "everyone moves on and tried something new and I'm really enjoying it. But not because it is better - it's just different."
He continued "The team is different, there's a different set of people who I am really enjoying working with and it's a new set of challenges, which is what I wanted."
The Brit is visibly happier and more relaxed when out of the car and he admits that things are running smoothly in his life right now, something he could not sat at times during his stint with McLaren.
"I feel more comfortable in my own skin. I just feel that each year I am getting better and better and growing. I've got a great personal team around me management-wise, things are good with the family, things are good with the girlfriend, things are good with the dog."
Roscoe, Hamilton's bulldog, has since become a minor celebrity in the F1 paddock. He has even been given a paddock pass for some of the European races, giving Hamilton some company during the race weekend.
"Bit by bit you try to adjust things and make things better," he added, "and I just feel that my approach, my fitness and my mind-set seem to be better than ever."
Hamilton's more relaxed attitude has certainly been proven on track, he looked more comfortable driving the car and has more confidence. With the facilities and Brackley and his obvious talent, he will most definitely be in with a chance of winning in 2013.
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