Lewis Hamilton, the only man to beat Sebastian Vettel in 2011, has conceded that he and his fellow rivals are fighting to be second best to the German.
Vettel has taken three victories from four races, also dominating qualifying having secured all four pole positions so far this season.
Hamilton admitted the gap between him and Vettel was ‘very big’ but was adamant things could change quickly given the development pace in Formula One.
“Thirty-four points is a very big gap at the moment,” Hamilton said. “But what can I do? He’s not really the guy we’re racing. It’s all the other guys – [Mark] Webber, Jenson [Button], Fernando [Alonso], [Felipe] Massa. That’s really where the fight is because it’s too easy [for Vettel].”
The McLaren driver believes this year could see Vettel in a similar situation to the ‘Schumacher years’ which saw the fellow German dominate the sport.
“He was cruising in yesterday’s race, for sure, and I’ve got to be on the ragged edge to try and get every little step I can possibly get.
“At the moment it’s very, very similar to when Schumacher was dominating. Now Sebastian is dominating – pole position at all four races this season, and he’s nearly won all four [races].
“But it is also possible we could catch up and overtake them. Then we might see at the next race they will have a bigger upgrade than us, and it will be the same again. But the gap is only a win and a bit, so for example if he doesn’t have a good race in Barcelona and we win we’re back in the fight again.
“It’s easy to say now it’s all doom and gloom, but it’s not at all. There are many races to go, and we’re not a million miles off with our race pace, it’s just qualifying. If we can get the car on pole position then we’ll be smiling.”
