Sebastian Vettel

Hamilton doubts Mercedes can catch Ferrari in Brazil

Matthew Scott Saturday 16 November 2019 11:00

Hamilton doubts Mercedes can catch Ferrari in Brazil

Lewis Hamilton is unsure if Mercedes will manage to close the gap to Ferrari in qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Hamilton was two tenths off Sebastian Vettel's headline time by the end of Friday at Interlagos, although the German's lap was compromised by Valtteri Bottas.

The Finn also got in Hamilton's way as qualifying sims ramped up in Brazil.

And while Hamilton says there remains plenty of time on the track for the Silver Arrows, he expects the Scuderia will also make gains, although Ferrari's efforts will be hampered across the weekend by Charles Leclerc's impending 10-place grid penalty.

Hamilton said: "It started out really well so straightaway from the get go we started on a good baseline and we just made a couple adjustments in that short space of time we had in the session and then we'll do some work tonight to refine it.

"It is quite crucial because we only have two sessions ahead of qualifying to get it right and we have to compact it a little bit more and be a bit more precise with the changes we've made.

"I don't know if we have three tenths to get where the Ferraris are.

"Obviously the Ferraris are quick this weekend - or it seems today. They're generally beating us on the straights so it'll be interesting to see how that pans out."

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Hamilton doubts Mercedes can catch Ferrari in Brazil

Hamilton doubts Mercedes can catch Ferrari in Brazil