Hamilton still at odds with 'harder to drive' W09

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Lewis Hamilton is struggling to extract the most of his 2018 Mercedes, insisting the W09 is harder to driver than its 'diva' predecessor.

The reigning world champion finally notched up a win on Sunday, his and the Silver Arrows first of the year, but it was a lucky break for the Brit who inherited the win when a piece of debris took team mate and race leader Valtteri Bottas out of the race with just two laps to go.

After Hamilton's dominant display of speed in qualifying for the opening round of the championship in Melbourne, Mercedes has been clearly outpaced by Ferrari.

It's W09 has been inconsistent in terms of performance, its main problem apparently centered once again around its ability to efficiently exploit its Pirelli tyres.

Hamilton unhappy with Vettel's safety car antics in Baku

"We’ve just got to refine it a little bit and make it a little bit easier to drive," Hamilton said.

"She definitely isn’t as easy to drive as it was last year. So yeah, that’s what we’re going to continue to work to."

Hamilton's lucky win in Baku sprung him to the top of the drivers' standings, but the 33-year-old is under no illusion that a deficit remains between Mercedes and its Scuderia rival.

"We’ve definitely got a lot of work still to do, we still are behind, whilst we finished ahead that was due to - as I said - lots of different circumstances getting in the way," he said.

"Kimi was nearly on pole, two-tenths ahead of Sebastian, their pure pace is a lot ahead of ours at the moment.

"Then, within the race, I’m sure Sebastian was managing but I’m sure their pace also in the race is a little bit up on ours.

"We definitely are there in the mix and we’ve not got a terrible car at all, by any means."

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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.