Lewis Hamilton says the advantage enjoyed by Mercedes should not detract from his performances as he chases a second consecutive drivers’ championship.
Having won the 2014 title, Hamilton got his defence off to the perfect start with victory in the Australian Grand Prix ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg. While Sebastian Vettel’s place among the greats was often debated due to the advantage of his Red Bull during his run of four consecutive championships, Hamilton doesn't believe his performances should be underestimated despite the two Mercedes finishing over half a minute clear of third place in Melbourne.
“There has never been a driver that has won the championship that hasn’t had a great car that year, as far as I’m aware,” Hamilton said. “There’s no-one who had a Marussia and won the world championship, is there?
“[Juan Manuel] Fangio still had a great car. It’s the name of the game. You’ve got to have great equipment as well. I’ve got the car now and I’m driving the way I am and executing it.”
And Hamilton says he is having to perform better than Vettel did due to the pressure being applied on him by team-mate Rosberg.
“I was sitting next to Sebastian after the race [in Australia] and I said ‘Sebastian, you did this for four years, you were 30 second ahead for four years,’ so I know how it must have felt back then. Back then he had no-one behind pushing him. At least I’ve got my team-mate, who I was really racing. I don’t remember that ever being the case [with Red Bull].”
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