Hamilton expecting close championship run-in with Ferrari
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari will maintain its title challenge in the forthcoming grand prix’s and is expecting a closely fought battle in the final six races of the season.
The Briton’s win in Singapore has opened up a 28-point advantage to Sebastian Vettel, on a track where Ferrari had a clear upper hand in dry conditions.
The remaining events are anticipated to slightly favour the Mercedes more than the Italian outfit, but Hamilton maintains his belief that Ferrari will remain strong contenders and even thinks circuits such as Suzuka and Brazil will play to their strengths.
Assessing who will be quicker in the championship rundown, Hamilton said: “We have Malaysia, where I think we should be okay.
“Then we have Japan, high downforce circuit; could be close, it definitely won’t be our strongest.
“Austin, I think we’ll be fine. I think Brazil would be a place where Ferrari will be particularly strong. Honestly, I think it’s going to be very close in the next races. It’s hard to predict.
“When you go to Mexico, you put your maximum downforce on but because it’s so high there’s little drag and maybe the cars that have a little bit more downforce might just have the edge on us.”
The three-time champion has taken a significant step towards a fourth championship, which would leave him three behind Michael Schumacher’s record of seven but Hamilton says he has no desire to overhaul the German’s tally.
“I feel like I am driving better than ever, and I feel the most whole as a driver that I have ever been which is a great feeling,” he added.
“Who knows if we are going to get anywhere near Michael Schumacher’s record of seven championships?
“I don’t have a desire to chase that, but records are there to be broken so at some stage someone will break them. Whether it is me, I can’t tell you.”