Ferrari quicker than Mercedes 'a fact' - Bottas
Ferrari quicker than Mercedes 'a fact' - Bottas
Valtteri Bottas insists there is nothing "fundamentally wrong" with Mercedes' 2019 car, but says it is "a fact" that Ferrari are quicker. The Finn was asked about the apparent half a second gap that separates the reigning champions from Ferrari after the first winter test.
"Ferrari seems to be ahead of us at the moment," Bottas admitted. "That's a fact."
He cautioned that the situation could be different by Melbourne, particularly if rumours are true that Mercedes is looking into following Ferrari's lead with the front wing design.
Explaining Mercedes' problem, Bottas said: "The tyre window is very small and the balance is on a knife's edge. We have problems in some corners and bigger problems in some others.
"But it also does not feel like something is fundamentally wrong with the car."
Speaking to Sky Italia, Bottas' teammate and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton would not talk specifically about Mercedes' apparent deficit to Ferrari.
But he admitted that Mercedes could be set for "our most difficult year".
"I also know that I have the best team that knows how to find the way to the top.
"Tests are tests," Hamilton insisted. "At this moment it is completely irrelevant how fast we are. What matters is how fast we are in Q3 in Australia."
Team boss Toto Wolff denied that Mercedes is "sandbagging".
"You have to find a balance between not showing all your cards and developing a car that is representative of what you take to Melbourne," he said.
"We can see that Ferrari has done a good job, but other years have looked like that as well," Wolff added.
MORE: Brexit could benefit Haas, suggests Steiner
MORE: Raikkonen relieved to see back of Ferrari 'politics, bulls***'
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Red Bull already sending parts to F1 race MONTHS away
- 42 minutes ago
Stats show SURPRISE F1 team dominate in crucial category
- 1 hour ago
Schumacher reveals what F1 pundits are NOT allowed to say about Red Bull
- 2 hours ago
Hamilton struggles pinned on Mercedes by team's OWN driver
- 3 hours ago
Verstappen issues MAYHEM warning to F1 bosses
- Today 09:12
Ferrari announce HUGE F1 change to iconic red livery
- Today 08:27
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860