Hamilton: "I don't think we are competing for wins at the moment"

Lewis Hamilton is keen to win the world championship this year after last season's debacle. However, the Mercedes driver does not want to talk about title chances just yet, because according to the Briton, there are still many problems with the W13 that need to be fixed towards the Bahrain Grand Prix. 

Hamilton not quite satisfied

Mercedes is not really showing itself yet at the Bahrain International Circuit in terms of fast times. The German formation does drive a lot of laps to collect data and so it seems to be a relatively positive week for Mercedes, but Hamilton is not entirely satisfied with what he has seen so far.

"I don't think we are competing for wins at the moment. We certainly have potential with our car to do so, but before that happens we have to solve some problems," Hamilton told various media during a press briefing prior to the afternoon session in Bahrain. One of the problems facing the new Mercedes car is the bouncing of the car at high speed on the straights.

Ferrari the fastest?

The fact that Mercedes are not really showing themselves yet could also have everything to do with sandbagging and not making the competition any wiser than they already are, but if we are to believe Hamilton then the proportions in Bahrain as we see them now are also just an accurate reflection of reality. The seven-time world champion claims that Mercedes must be in hot pursuit of other equipment.

According to Hamilton, Ferrari currently has the fastest car and Red Bull is behind it in second place. McLaren or Mercedes would then be the third team in the pecking order.