How Mercedes fare in Barcelona will be telling – they must work the tyres at the correct temperature to unlock performance
Lewis Hamilton was absolutely honest after his unlikely victory in Baku. He knew he had inherited a win that with three laps to go was looking like a third place and a further deficit to Sebastian Vettel in the world championship. He came out of it on top and rightly did not opt to celebrate as he might have were it a harder won victory. He is four points ahead of Vettel but made it clear that relying on good fortune would not be enough in what is shaping up to be a highly contested season. The reality, Hamilton knows, is that with the exception of Melbourne, Mercedes have been unable to match Ferrari. The issue of unlocking performance from the car by working the tyres at the correct temperature is key and as things stand Ferrari do not face the same problem. How Mercedes fare at the next round in Barcelona, in a European climate similar to that we are likely to see at many summer meetings, will be telling. If they struggle at the Circuit de Catalunya it may be that far from last year’s diva, this year they have created a monster.
Related: Lewis Hamilton knows good fortune in Baku cannot mask Mercedes’ failings
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