Lewis Hamilton has offered acclaim to his Mercedes engineering team, insisting the quality this year of the interaction and communication between team and driver has never been better.
It's not just about the outstanding work done by the man behind the wheel.
Hamilton has acknowledged Ferrari's technical superiority this season, but a better overall package combined with flawless race management at Mercedes has put the Brit comfortably in control of the world championship.
As the calm and precise voice that has guided him on race day for the past six years, engineer Pete Bonnington - familiarly referred to as 'Bono' - is offered some high praise by Hamilton, as is the entire Silver Arrows engineering squad.
"I’ve had Bono by my side my whole time here at this team and you can hear our rapport when we’re in a race," said Hamilton.
"All the guys are working tirelessly to make sure that the car is where I want it to be. They have full trust in me, [and] when I say ‘I need this on the car’, they do it.
"Honestly the set-up was great [in Singapore] – that’s why I was able to do [my pole lap]. And the same in the last race. We’ve got to keep the same mentality and the same hard work process we’ve had."
©Mercedes
The challenge offered by Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel this season, while riddled with mistakes and errors from both entities, has forced Mercedes and Hamilton to dig deep to extract every single ounce of performance from its 2018 W09.
And part of that speed is the result of what happens immediately before and after a weekend work session.
"If you speak to the guys, I’m pretty sure they will tell you how important the debriefs have been," insists Hamilton.
"My communication, I would say with the debriefs, has been greater than it’s ever felt for me.
"I have tremendous belief in this team. I truly believe we are more united and I think I’ve got the smartest group of guys in my team.
"They’re bringing their A-game and I’m bringing my A-game. Unless you’re coming up straight with the A-game, the ace… that’s what we’re bringing every weekend right now."
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