Lewis Hamilton Keeps Winning, Yet Thinks Ferrari Have Extra Power Mode

Five time Formula 1 title winner Lewis Hamilton has gone on record saying that Ferrari’s engine features a power mode that his Mercedes cannot match right now.

While his team has won all seven races so far in the 2019 calendar year (Hamilton taking 5 of those 7 wins), the British driver feels as though the Italian outfit is clearly faster in terms of top speed, reports Autosport.

“They were so quick on the straights,” he said. “They definitely have another power mode that we currently don’t have. So, all of a sudden they turn up the power and he [Vettel] pulls away massively on the straight, even if I have DRS open.”

Hamilton reckons his statement is more than just an assumption because the evidence was there all along in qualifying in Canada, where his team was losing up to six tenths of a second on the straights to Ferrari.

Also read: Ferrari Might Go Back To The Drawing Board With 2019 F1 Car

“In the race I know all of a sudden they pick up a lot of pace on the straights [as well] but that’s the name of the game,” added the F1 title holder. “They’ve clearly done a great job with their power unit.”

“There used to be a point where Mercedes was ahead in that area by a good chunk. We’ve got work to do there. They are ahead of us at the moment there.”

Of course, these types of statements aren’t exactly new when it comes to Mercedes. Yet, as much as they praise Ferrari for continuously narrowing the gap in the Constructors championship standings, it never seems to make much of a difference at the end of the year.

Right now, Hamilton leads all drivers with 162 points, followed by his teammate Valtteri Bottas with 133. Meanwhile, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel has only 100 points.