Lewis Hamilton aims for the top 10 with Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton stated that he did not think he would be able to fight for the 2013 title with his new team, Mercedes, and that his main goal was to score points.
Many hopes rest on the shoulders of the 2008 world champion, with whom Mercedes would like to restore its reputation. The team, 5th in the constructors’ championship last season, has indeed won only once in the previous 3 seasons. During these recent tests in Barcelona, Hamilton noted that he had learned a lot over the course of these 4 days and that progress had been made with his W04, which still lags behind the competition.
« I don’t believe it’s impossible, but I think people overestimate us. Vettel and maybe Alonso said that I could be one of the contenders in the fight for the world championship, but I really don’t see it that way at the moment. Right now, we’re not looking for wins, we’re hoping to score points this year and make it into the top ten. »
On the weaknesses side, Lewis Hamilton reaffirmed his belief that the car suffered from a lack of overall aerodynamic downforce, while the engine was one of the strengths of the F1 W04.
Despite his negative statements, the British driver insisted that the car is as competitive as expected and that he did not rule out the possibility of finishing in the top 10: « Of course, that is our goal, but we must remember that the car was one second per lap behind the best single-seaters last season, sometimes two seconds, and it’s clear that we haven’t improved by a full second over one winter. Not to mention that other teams haven’t stood still, and some might have improved by a second. So, we obviously haven’t gained three seconds. »
Hamilton did not rejoice too much although he set the fastest time, in the rain, on the last day of testing in Barcelona: « I hope we will be able to fight for victories at the end of the season, but it will clearly not be possible at the start of the championship. »
