Ferrari engine now on a par with Mercedes - Hamilton

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Lewis Hamilton believes Mercedes no longer enjoys an edge over Ferrari in terms of sheer power, but refrains from assessing the overall performance gap between the two teams.

On the run-up to this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel suggested the Scuderia is currently lagging the Silver Arrows outfit by about 0.4 seconds.

Hamilton disagreed with his arch-rival however, insisting Ferrari's power unit was now a match for Mercedes although lap-time deficit remained unclear.

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"I don't have a figure, the team hasn't mentioned a figure to me," Hamilton said on Thursday.

"They said in qualifying we think that we are power-wise equal to them. They made a really big improvement. And that in the race we might have a slight edge on them.

"It's hard to say from one race, they had a different run profile particularly in the race they were doing something different fuelling wise.

"You'll get a much better idea over the coming races."

In Melbourne, Hamilton's defeat at the hands of Vettel was rooted in specific circumstances and a Mercedes calculation error. The British driver is ready to even the score in Bahrain against his opponent however.

"I am still happy with it," Hamilton said.

"But I guess it's that I started first and finished second. You never ever want to move backwards.

"That is difficult for us all but everyone in the team felt the same pain. After the race we all got together and sat and had a drink," he added.

"I come here really strong and positive and [have] a good direction about how to move forward. That is why this is such a great team."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.