Mercedes v Ferrari will fluctuate in F1 2017, predicts Hamilton
Friday 7 April 2017 02:41, UK
Lewis Hamilton is optimistic the close Mercedes-Ferrari battle from the Australian GP sets up F1 2017 for a season of "exciting racing".
Although Mercedes were on the end of a rare defeat in F1's hybrid engine era as Sebastian Vettel triumphed impressively in Melbourne, Hamilton was buoyed by the closely-fought two-team duel and now expects to see it repeated over the rest of the season.
"It is very close," said Hamilton ahead of this weekend's Chinese GP. "Pace-wise and qualifying is close.
"In the race he was able keep up with me [in the first stint] and there are going to be races where that fluctuates. Perhaps they're ahead and we're behind, or we're ahead and they're behind - but we hope to make it more that we're up ahead.
"But the good thing is that it is close and it's margins like that which make racing exciting."
Hamilton's pole position in Melbourne meant Mercedes began the Australia weekend in the same fashion as the last three years.
However, in the race, Vettel overhauled the Briton through the pit-stop window as Ferrari outfoxed Mercedes by running a longer first stint. The German claimed the team's first win since 2015 by 10 seconds.
Despite being close enough coming down the main straight to see Vettel emerge from the pit lane ahead of him, Hamilton said: "When he came out of the pits that was exciting for me. I was stuck behind one car but it was kind of cool to see that the racing is that close."
Mercedes have proved almost unbeatable at the Shanghai International Circuit over the last five seasons, with then-Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso in 2013 the only man to deny them a pole-victory race weekend double.
Hamilton's four victories at the circuit make him the Chinese GP's most successful driver, while Vettel has triumphed just once (2009) in 10 attempts.
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