‘Mercedes cannot afford to lose focus’
Hamilton urges team to improve performance ahead of Monaco GP.
Hamilton, who currently sits in fourth position in the drivers’ championship table, wants Mercedes to focus on improving race performance in Monaco. PHOTO: AFP
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has said that his team cannot afford to lose focus on improving their race performance for the Monaco GP, according to Sky Sports.
Hamilton, a winner in Monaco in 2008, admits he is looking forward to the race in France next weekend but insisted that, while grid position was key, the Brackley outfit could not afford to neglect their race performance.
“While there hasn’t been a lot of time since Barcelona, we’ve been working hard to put the disappointment of the last race behind us and focus on the opportunities ahead,” said Hamilton. “Monaco is one of my favourite races of the year and I love driving there. Perhaps more than at many other tracks, qualifying and getting the best possible track position is crucial in Monaco, but we have to keep our focus on next Sunday as well and keep working to improve our race pace.
“Everyone is working really hard and I know we can get there. We just need to be motivated and work it out together.”
Mercedes motorsport director Toto Wolff has also echoed Hamilton’s sentiments.
“The narrow streets will give our drivers the perfect opportunity to display their talents and, historically, the team’s cars have performed strongly there in terms of pure speed,” said Wolff.
“However, it is clear to everybody in the team that, while we have a strong car right now, we are not able to use that performance properly on Sunday afternoon.
“Although overtaking in Monaco is difficult, we cannot afford to be complacent in terms of tyre management and we will need to do significantly better than we managed in Barcelona in order to score a strong result.”
Lotus irked by tyre changes
Lotus boss Eric Boullier says Pirelli’s decision to make changes to the tyres mid-season is like ‘changing the dimensions of a football pitch at half-time’.
“There aren’t many sports where there are such fundamental changes to an essential ingredient part-way through a season,” he said.
“Just imagine for a moment that, because a football team can’t run as fast as its opponent, the dimensions of the pitch are changed at half time! That there are changes to come can be seen as somewhat frustrating, and I hope they are not too extreme.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 18th, 2013.
Hamilton, a winner in Monaco in 2008, admits he is looking forward to the race in France next weekend but insisted that, while grid position was key, the Brackley outfit could not afford to neglect their race performance.
“While there hasn’t been a lot of time since Barcelona, we’ve been working hard to put the disappointment of the last race behind us and focus on the opportunities ahead,” said Hamilton. “Monaco is one of my favourite races of the year and I love driving there. Perhaps more than at many other tracks, qualifying and getting the best possible track position is crucial in Monaco, but we have to keep our focus on next Sunday as well and keep working to improve our race pace.
“Everyone is working really hard and I know we can get there. We just need to be motivated and work it out together.”
Mercedes motorsport director Toto Wolff has also echoed Hamilton’s sentiments.
“The narrow streets will give our drivers the perfect opportunity to display their talents and, historically, the team’s cars have performed strongly there in terms of pure speed,” said Wolff.
“However, it is clear to everybody in the team that, while we have a strong car right now, we are not able to use that performance properly on Sunday afternoon.
“Although overtaking in Monaco is difficult, we cannot afford to be complacent in terms of tyre management and we will need to do significantly better than we managed in Barcelona in order to score a strong result.”
Lotus irked by tyre changes
Lotus boss Eric Boullier says Pirelli’s decision to make changes to the tyres mid-season is like ‘changing the dimensions of a football pitch at half-time’.
“There aren’t many sports where there are such fundamental changes to an essential ingredient part-way through a season,” he said.
“Just imagine for a moment that, because a football team can’t run as fast as its opponent, the dimensions of the pitch are changed at half time! That there are changes to come can be seen as somewhat frustrating, and I hope they are not too extreme.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 18th, 2013.