Mercedes sees special talent in Hamilton: 'He can do that better than the rest'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Tyre management is extremely important in F1 today. The Pirelli tyres only allow drivers to cover a limited distance and in order to drive the fastest strategy, drivers often have to slow down in order not to completely destroy the tyres. Many drivers have proven that they are good at this, but according to Mercedes engineer Andrew Shovlin, only one can be the best.
He points to his driver, Lewis Hamilton. "Lewis is very good at overtaking. He seems to know exactly how to position the car. He doesn't try lap after lap, he just grabs his chance," Shovlin explained in conversation with Motorsport-Total.com. According to the engineer of the reigning world champions, Hamilton has something in him that he has not seen much of in other drivers.
Hamilton better than the rest
"He has the same tyres as everyone else, but they are slipping and getting far too hot. The key is to keep the tyres cool and control the sliding. I think he's just better at that than the others."
That Hamilton is good with the tyres is something he has shown twice before this season. In Barcelona and Portimao he managed to win the race on strategy, getting past Max Verstappen on fresher tyres in Barcelona and controlling speed in Portugal and even accelerating in the closing stages.