Lewis Hamilton believes Mercedes can take the fight to Ferrari in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix but that Red Bull will be in a class of their own.
Charles Leclerc produced an electric last lap to take pole and back up his position at the top of the times for the preceding three practice sessions.
But Ferrari have struggled more with tyre degradation than Red Bull at the last two races and, with track temperatures expected to be around 50 degrees Celsius, there are fears of a repeat.
Hamilton, who qualified in sixth, said: “Yesterday was like our best race pace that we had so, if we can start racing with the Ferraris for example, that will be amazing. I think the Red Bulls look like they may be the quickest. We might be able to compete with the Ferraris tomorrow and that’s a big step for us.”
Mercedes have come with a raft of upgrades to Barcelona, which Hamilton said had appeared to solve their porpoising (or bouncing) down the straights although it remains an issue in the high-speed corners.
Hamilton expects further improvements and better downforce at subsequent races but also warned he needed to raise his level after finishing sixth to teammate George Russell’s fourth.
“I’m a little bit gutted because I want to be a little bit further up ahead,” he said. “Seeing George put it further ahead than I but I’ll keep pushing.”
