Patience is the key: Hamilton

Time, adaptation needed to win races, says Mercedes driver.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton admitted he needed to show patience while he waits for his first win for his new team, according to Sky Sports.

Although Hamilton has already achieved greater results in his first season at Mercedes than many had expected at the time of his high-profile transfer from McLaren last winter, he has still yet to stand on top of the podium in 2013, while teammate Nico Rosberg has claimed two victories already.

“This year I don’t feel like I’ve been able to always drive my best because there’s almost like a smaller operating window with this car,” said Hamilton.



“If you don’t have it in that window the car’s nowhere and you just have poor performances. From weekend to weekend I wish I could have always had it in the window but some weekends it’s not been right. But I guess that will just take time.

“I’m driving a car that’s been built and designed around other drivers – Michael Schumacher and Rosberg – so I’m trying to adapt all the skills and driving methods that I have to work with this one.”

Meanwhile, Hamilton’s team principal Ross Brawn seemed more worried about Mercedes’ struggles at the German Grand Prix that he said were partly linked to the tyre swapping ban put in place by Pirelli.

To extend the life of the tyre, several teams were running the right rear-hand tyres on the left of the car and vice-versa. Pirelli believed the practice was responsible for the blowouts at the British Grand Prix and banned it for Germany, saying the asymmetrical construction of its tyres was not designed to be interchangeable from left to right.

“I think we are back into going over the limit of the temperature of the tyres and suffering from it,” said Brawn.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10^th, 2013.

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