(Motorsport-Total.com) – At the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, Ferrari’s important home race, there was a clash between Lewis Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc: The Monegasque left the record world champion too little space in the first corner after the start and slightly pushed him off the track.
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Hamilton then criticized the lack of clear rules at Ferrari, but now makes it unmistakably clear that he never demanded number 1 status. “That’s actually not at all what I asked for,” the Brit responds to the question of whether it is now time to focus on him.
“It’s really just about us delivering our performance,” says Hamilton, “to make sure we get the best result for the team. Instead of working against each other and finishing fourth and fifth, maybe we can work together and get a podium, score more points.”
At this point, a team order at the Scuderia would certainly make sense: Lewis Hamilton’s deficit to championship leader Kimi Antonelli is 76 points, while Charles Leclerc is already 112 points behind after his zero score in Monza.
Lewis Hamilton consistent, but not fast enough
Hamilton benefits from his remarkable consistency, as the record world champion is the only driver to have finished every race of the current season in the top 10. Three sixth places in Suzuka, Miami, and Monza are his worst results so far.
However, the Scuderia has not yet secured a single pole position this season, mainly due to the power unit. “If you look at the last race: Mercedes was six tenths faster per lap on the straights,” Hamilton emphasizes.
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“On almost all other tracks, it was three or four tenths. We only lost on the straights. I think we did a really great job considering we had this deficit, and we are steadily improving the car.”
Hamilton wants to exploit Mercedes’ weakness
“We have made improvements to the engine,” the Brit recalls the latest update at Ferrari. “We knew that the last [engine] upgrade would not be a cure-all and would not completely close this gap. But for me, it is really positive to see that we are continuously making steps forward.”
“They are just very, very fast, and that is not easy,” Hamilton adds with a view to the Silver Arrows. “As I said: Instead of focusing on them – they are not my focus at the moment – our focus should simply be on how we get the maximum out of our weekends and deliver the best possible performance.”
“Because there will be weekends when they are outstanding, and there will be weekends when they might slip up. As long as we just focus on our consistency and try to optimize our weekends, there might be a moment when we can capitalize on their weaknesses.”
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