Hamilton and Verstappen pessimistic as Vettel tops P2; Ferrari predict ‘tight’ qualy, Mercedes say pace ‘not good enough’
Ferrari have their rivals worried after a storming start to the Mexican GP weekend, with Lewis Hamilton claiming the pace-setters have a “massive” advantage and Max Verstappen insisting they are “miles ahead”.
The Scuderia, described as “unbeatable” over one lap by Mercedes, will be looking for a sixth straight F1 2019 pole in Saturday’s qualifying and their practice pace certainly suggested that was possible, with Sebastian Vettel topping the timesheets in the more representative second Friday session.
Although Max Verstappen was only a tenth behind the lead Ferrari in Mexico City, with Vettel’s team-mate Charles Leclerc third, Mercedes could only manage third and fourth through Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton – with the championship leader almost a second off the pace.
Hamilton can seal a sixth drivers’ title this weekend but needs to outscore team-mate Bottas by 14 points, and at the very least needs to finish on the podium. At this stage, the Englishman is struggling to see a way past Ferrari, who also unsurprisingly topped the speed traps on the long straight.
“It’s not been a great day, but that is what it’s usually been like for us here,” said Hamilton, who has finished fourth and ninth in the last two races in Mexico.
“We’ve definitely learnt a lot. We’ve not particularly had any major dramas, it’s just trying to understand these tyres. It was cool in the morning and then a bit warmer in P2, but from the short run to the long run it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how you get these tyres working. But that’s the name of the game.
Source: SkySports