Lewis Hamilton is facing a gap of one second to his former teammate George Russell. The seven-time world champion qualified seventh for the Australian Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver is not surprised by Mercedes’ lead. “During free practice, they didn’t show everything,” Hamilton said.
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The Mercedes drivers have the front row completely in their hands, yet Hamilton is not surprised. “I think it’s clear that they didn’t fully show their engine power during practice. There is a lot of talk about compression ratios. They have clearly done a good job with their engine, just like Ferrari,” Hamilton noted in the paddock.
‘Two tenths’
The Ferrari driver wants to understand exactly where Mercedes is gaining an advantage. “They gain about two tenths or more per sector purely through engine power. If this is due to compression, then I want to know why the FIA is not doing anything about this and what is being done to remedy it. If that is not the case and this is what we have, we just have to do our job better,” Hamilton concluded.
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The Mercedes engines have been under fire since the winter tests. The discussion is mainly about the compression ratios where the German team seems to have an advantage, namely a power advantage. Following complaints from the competition, the FIA has decided to intervene and from June 1st, the compression ratio will also be measured at warm temperatures, which could potentially eliminate Mercedes’ advantage.
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