Hamilton resolute on understanding qualifying pace shortfall

40

Lewis Hamilton is determined to understand why his qualifying pace relative to Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas has been on average inferior this season.

The reigning world champion was on pole at the season opening Australian Grand Prix before Ferrari locked out the front row in Bahrain.

Mercedes regained its Saturday supremacy in China, Azerbaijan and Spain, but Bottas defeated Hamilton on each occasion, compelling the Brit to better understand how to extract more speed from himself and his W10 in qualifying.

"The cars are pretty much set the same," Hamilton said. "So that's how I drive the car."

"I drive the tyres slightly differently in the race, and often I'm able to eke them out a little bit more, longer. That currently is still a benefit and advantage.

Mika Hakkinen feels a Mercedes defeat is looming

"The car is obviously great, but I've generally struggled with the car since Australia, had similar kinds of problems since Australia. My qualifying in Australia was just OK. I was only a tenth ahead.

"When I get things right, it should be different to that. Valtteri has settled nicely into the car, he's quite happy."

Hamilton said that he'll be spending the week leading up to Monaco digging in at the factory which his crew in search for answers on how to improve his Saturday afternoon performance.

"There are definitely areas I'll continue to focus on at the factory and this week, so I'll be dialling in to try to really understand.

"Ultimately I'll go round and talk to different departments, engineer-wise, and try to create as much data and information as possible so I can apply it better in the next race.

"Friday and Saturday have not been great days for me, so the goal is to improve on that. The races have been really strong, performance wise, and purely delivering on Sunday, I've been really happy."

Overall however, Hamilton made clear that he had no real complaints to formulate about Mercedes' 2019 Silver Arrow.

"Ultimately it's a fantastic car," he said. "It's just the working window that I'm in with my driving style, it's not always doing what I want it to do. It's the best car we've made up until now."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

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.