Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes is having to “over deliver” in order to beat Ferrari in Formula 1 this year, amid a close battle between the front-runners.
Mercedes dominated Formula 1 between 2014 and 2016 but a rejuvenated Ferrari squad challenged for the championship last year before falling short across the final third of the campaign.
Mercedes and Ferrari have both taken five pole positions this year, and have four victories each, with Red Bull having triumphed at the other three events.
Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel controlled last weekend’s German Grand Prix until the home representative went off in slippery conditions, handing the initiative to Hamilton and Mercedes.
That allowed Hamilton to move 17 points clear of Vettel in the fight for the title, while Mercedes grasped the advantage in the Constructors’ battle, eight in front of Ferrari.
“We are racing a team that is faster than us this year,” said Hamilton ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
“Last year we were quite balanced I’d say as there were some weekends they were faster than us but some weekends we were faster than them but this year it is swinging more in their direction.
“We are having to over-deliver on race weekends and pull out more on weekends where we are not quick enough.
“The pressure to extract every millimetre of every ounce is greater than ever if I want to be number one at the end.”
Hamilton also heaped praise on Mercedes for its attitude and responses to the setbacks it has encountered in 2018.
“We haven’t performed 100 per cent every single weekend, and we’ve had things we can improve on,” said Hamilton.
“Ferrari has taken a step ahead, they have really taken a step up, particularly in their qualifying performance, in which we are under no illusion that we have to work hard to battle against.
“That’s the coolest thing about this team. They just keep their head down. They don’t make any complaints. They’re just like we have to do better.
“You’ll see if we have an issue on Saturday or Sunday, already it’s on the design board, and we’ll have fixes for this week.
“For me, it’s crazy, that they can already come up with a fix, so intelligent the people we have back at the factory. That fascinates me. Also how enthusiastic everyone is.”
