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Hamilton claims Ferrari's speed is due to them having more development time

11:18, 02 Mar 2019

byLouis Shaw

Lewis Hamilton believes that Ferrari had more time to develop their car than Mercedes did for the 2019 season. This could be the reason why Ferrari were ahead during winter testing but it is always hard to tell actual pace until the season starts in Australia.

Hamilton believes that Ferrari started working on their 2019 car when they realised that they were unlikely to win the 2018 championship. This extra time could be what has put the Italian team ahead but Hamilton and Mercedes are looking forward to the challenge.

"Obviously, during the year you have a huge group of people all working towards the championships," Hamilton said to GPFans.

"If you're not looking like winning the world championship, out of worry you might pull some of the team off earlier.

"So, most likely, they've [Ferrari] started developing this car a month, at least, earlier than us. And we were pushing to win the world title, which we obviously did.

"It's different when you're chasing, as opposed to defending. Last year they arrived here with a car that was working well, but they've got even better this year.

"That's okay, we don't mind the challenge, the fight. It just means we've got to work harder.

"But I'm really, really proud of what my team had done to get us to where we are today.

"I'm not worried, or disappointed or anything. We're just incredibly encouraged by the fact we're working as hard as we are. We've got a hill to climb, but we know how to do it."

It is believed that at the moment Ferrari has a quicker car but it is a long season and things can change quickly.