World champion has a hunch that Ferrari won't challenge on Sunday; Third-placed Vettel concedes it will be "difficult" to topple Merc
Tuesday 12 May 2015 14:04, UK
Lewis Hamilton suspects the battle for victory in Sunday’s Spanish GP will be an exclusive duel between himself and pole-sitting Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.
For the third time this season, the two Silver Arrows will line up alongside each other on the front-row of the grid. However, for the first time since last year it is Rosberg who holds the advantage after ending Hamilton’s 100 per cent pole record in 2015.
Sebastian Vettel starts third for Ferrari and the SF15-T has consistently shown stronger relative pace to the Mercedes W06 in race conditions this year. On this occasion, however, Hamilton has a hunch that the narrative that dominated 2014 is going to be repeated on Sunday.
“I’d be guessing, but I think the race is between me and Nico,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.
In Friday’s race simulations on the medium tyre – the compound which is set to prove the one of choice for the front-runners in the race – Mercedes appeared to hold a clear advantage over Ferrari, with Rosberg’s pace looking particularly strong.
Vettel, the race victor in Malaysia, acknowledges that beating either W06 is going to be an uphill challenge.
“Being realistic, they are quick. They are not on pole and second, the first row, by chance,” the Ferrari driver said.
“They showed I think in every single session this weekend that they are very competitive with either tyre. So I expect them to be very strong.
“But, of course I hope that we can be a bit closer. The past races we were a bit closer on race pace but, as I said, being realistic it will be difficult to beat them.”
Hamilton's challenge to Rosberg in qualifying was stymied by an unbalanced W06, the world champion having failed to find the set-up sweet-spot on his car this weekend.
Although the Circuit de Catalunya is a track not famous for its overtaking, the run to the first corner from the start is one of the longest of the season and been the scene of numerous bold passes in the early stages of races.
But with the same car as Rosberg, Hamilton is targeting an electric initial getaway when the lights go out.
“We’ve both got the exact same clutches, so naturally we should have the same start,” he said on Saturday night.
“If I’m fresher tomorrow and have slightly better reaction time, it might make a difference by Turn One. So that’ll be a goal.”
