Hamilton: “I feel the winning mentality of the team, but we have no illusions”

A good test In every interview with the drivers and team principals of the three days of testing in Barcelona, ​​every single protagonist remarked that they had no idea of ​​the strength of their car compared to that of their opponents. And it couldn’t be otherwise at such an early stage not only of the season, but also of the technical projects under this new regulatory cycle.
Ferrari, however, can be satisfied with its reliability, given that in terms of laps covered it was only behind Mercedes, while in terms of lap times, the quality of the chronometric feedback that allowed Lewis Hamilton to close the tests with the best overall time is unclear. Hamilton satisfied, but cautious In the interview given to F1TV at the end of the three days in Barcelona, ​​Lewis Hamilton talked about his sensations driving the SF-26 created with the new regulations: “In terms of understanding the car and balance, we have much less downforce than in previous years. This generation of cars is more fun to drive. The car is oversteering, quick and slippery, but a little easier to control. And I would certainly say more fun.” Hamilton also spoke about the atmosphere in the team: “We have work to do to improve, like everyone else, but we’ve had some excellent debriefs. Everyone is very focused and I really feel the winning mentality in every single member of the team, more than ever. And so it’s positive. Everyone is positive and enthusiastic, but we’re under no illusions. We know we have work to do and Mercedes have also done a great job, as have Red Bull and Haas. We don’t know where we are.” The Englishman then concluded, with a sentence to pay attention to: “Development will be fundamental. We must make sure we leave nothing out and are clear and concise in the communication and in the decisions we make.”