Ricciardo: Ferrari not showing their 'real pace'

Ricciardo: Ferrari not showing their 'real pace'

Monday 15 October 2018 15:40

Daniel Ricciardo says Ferrari haven't shown their "real pace" in recent races as Mercedes have stolen a march, allowing Lewis Hamilton to leave Sebastian Vettel standing in the Formula 1 title race. Ferrari's slump means Hamilton can seal a fifth world drivers' title at this week's United States Grand Prix.

Ferrari's mastery of harvesting electrical energy helped them build a pace advantage over Mercedes at several races this season -the first time the Silver Arrows had a deficit to their rivals in the V6 Hybrid era.

Article continues under video

However, errors on the track and pit wall proved costly as Vettel failed to bank the points his car perhaps deserved.

Hamilton heads to Austin on the back of four straight wins, with Mercedes having redressed the balance in recent weeks, locking out the front row in qualifying before securing one-two finishes in Russia and Japan.

The sudden switch around has baffled F1 fans and pundits, as well as Ricciardo.

"I don't know what's happening there at the moment," he said.

"They're still obviously quick but they're not showing their real pace that they've shown most of the season."

Hamilton will be crowned champion this weekend if he wins in Austin and Vettel does not follow him home in second – or f he outscores the German by at least eight points in another combination of results.

MORE: Hamilton better than ever in 2018 Vettel fight
MORE: Vettel can still emulate Schumacher at Ferrari