F1 news: Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff reveal Ferrari worry ahead of Baku
LEWIS HAMILTON and Toto Wolff think the Azerbaijan Grand Prix circuit may favour their Ferrari rivals.
Lewis Hamilton celebrates success at Chinese Grand Prix
Mercedes have made a perfect start to the season securing one-two finishes in each of the first three races.
Hamilton has won the last two outings in Bahrain and China and is hoping for a repeat performance in Baku on Sunday.
However, he fears the long straights may suit Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc.
The Silver Arrows have constantly complained that their car is not as quick as the Prancing Horse.
"They gain something like 0.4s in a straight line, then lose out in the corners,” Hamilton said.
“It will, therefore, be interesting to discover their strategy for the next race.
"They [Ferrari] have a shorter car than ours and this could work better on other tracks we are going on, but it is a little early to say.
"I'm not sure if they had a solid weekend yet, it seemed to them that [the performance was best] at Sakhir, where they seemed to fly."
Wolff echoed Hamilton’s comments by also claiming Ferrari will be faster this weekend.
"Three one-twos in the first three races represent a fantastic start to the season," Wolff added.
"We were able to maximise our opportunities, although we didn't always have the fastest car.
"The next stop will take us to Azerbaijan where we've seen some very entertaining races in recent years and I'm sure that this year will be no different.
"Baku is not purely about performance, though, and staying out of trouble is also important for a good result.”
The Mercedes chief also backed Valtteri Bottas to continue his decent form.
"Valtteri drove a strong race last year but a puncture denied him a well-deserved victory shortly before the end," he said.
"He's had a good start to this season and I'm sure he will be hungry to go for the points he didn't get last year.”