Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, 2019

Hamilton: Ferrari have the “party mode” now

2019 Canadian Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes couldn’t compete with Ferrari’s straight-line speed after being beaten to pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix by Sebastian Vettel.

The Mercedes driver said the SF90’s strength on the straights at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve had been clear since the start of the practice.

“Obviously in the last sector, I think you can now start writing that they have the party mode. I don’t know who told Seb we had the party mode in the beginning but their end-of-straight speed was particularly where we lost out in the last sector.”

Hamilton said he wasn’t surprised to miss out on pole position given Ferrari’s form in practice,

“I think all weekend they’ve had really great pace,” he said. “The large part of it [was] they were like six-tenths up on the straights, so we fought so hard throughout the weekend to try to make improvements.”

Vettel scored Ferrari’s second pole position of their season and his first of the year.

“I’m actually really, really happy for Seb,” said Hamilton. “He clearly did a really great lap.

“My first lap was really good and it felt great for a second to be on pole particularly because I missed all of P2 yesterday so quite far behind starting today. But it’s been a really solid day from us.”

Hamilton believes Ferrari’s resurgence in form is “fantastic for the sport” and hopes it is a sign of things to come.

“I love being able to fight with another team and today was just so close. I had no idea where we were going to be.

“At some stages they were ahead of us, we were swapping all the way so that’s how I hope that this is a turning point for them and it’s going to be very close from now on because if we can have a serious battle throughout the season that would be fantastic.”

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6 comments on “Hamilton: Ferrari have the “party mode” now”

  1. Agree with hamilton here, it was an interesting qualifying from q1 already, where ferrari, verstappen and mercedes, were constantly swapping the first places, then we saw a competitive vettel in q2 when he didn’t just give up to being slower than leclerc as usual but continued putting in better laps and getting ahead, then unfortunately lost verstappen, would’ve been interesting in q3, probably 3rd, there were mistakes from bottas and leclerc, and eventually vettel and hamilton improved but hamilton lacked the speed in sector 3, it’s good there’s something mercedes isn’t the best at this year.

  2. It’s only a miracle when we win every single race.
    Ham just has to be humble, this pole slipped away, he had it but he didn’t hold it.

    1. @peartree You must be really bad at reading people in real life too. Hamilton was clearly happy for Vettel like he said, obvious when qualifying had finished, obvious from the photo above. Why not? This compulsion to turn everything into a negative narrative about Hamilton is really a bit sad and pathetic.

  3. Adam (@rocketpanda)
    8th June 2019, 23:09

    I really wouldn’t go so far to call it a ‘resurgence’, or that Ferrari have turned themselves around, or that they have the ‘party mode’ now. Hamilton was pretty close to claiming pole position, and if Bottas hadn’t had a nightmare Q3 he’d probably be in with a close shot given how close he and Hamilton have been of late. Mercedes absolutely could compete with Ferrari – but with closer margins than they’ve had lately, this one didn’t go in their favour.

    I think Ferrari are flattered by the long straight that plays to their car’s strengths and Vettel having a nearly perfect lap. If Vettel wins this race, and Ferrari are this close the next race – and the next after that, maybe then we can call it a resurgence.

  4. Vettel beat Hamilton square and fair. I was deeply impressed. and as Hamilton says, good for the sport that it is so close.

  5. Cue SV taking CL out in his usual fit of red mist rage. Likely LH will get the drop on both Ferrs at the start. Then CL will challenge SV at turn 2, nearly overtake him at turn 3. SV will do the usual & take him & CL out by rear ending CL. GO MERCEDES!

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