Lewis Hamilton described Mercedes’ pace advantage as a “real shock” in the wake of the team’s front-row lock-out at Formula 1’s Australian Grand Prix.
Ferrari showed strong pace through pre-season testing, with both Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas playing down Mercedes’ prospects.
Hamilton went as far as to suggest that Mercedes was potentially half a second per lap slower than Ferrari, but the Briton has so far dominated the opening round of 2019.
Hamilton was quickest in all three practice sessions and, after a scruffy first Q3 lap, edged Bottas to set a new track record, claiming his sixth straight pole position at the event.
Bottas placed second, while nearest non-Mercedes driver Vettel finished over seven-tenths behind in third position.
Vettel conceded that Ferrari has not enjoyed the smoothest of weekends but Hamilton was nonetheless buoyed by Mercedes’ progress with its W10.
"We went back to factory, knew we had work to do,” said Hamilton on Mercedes’ approach after testing.
"I felt good, we had a decent package to work with, but aware we were behind. They showed us the summary of how testing went, we were behind Ferrari.
"From then until now, we haven’t changed the car, [but] we’ve understood the car more. We haven’t brought upgrades, but as I said, the last couple of days we felt good at the track.
"Yesterday, Ferrari were with us. We were heavy on fuel, and then when we dropped fuel we were on par in terms of performance. Then all of a sudden, they lost some performance, this morning, which is not what I was expecting. It was a real shock.
"It’s a difficult circuit and it’s dusty, it could be a number of things. I’m grateful where our car is, but I know Ferrari will be pushing hard and progressing in the coming days.”
On his qualifying display, Hamilton said: “The second lap was definitely a lot better than the first, which is not always the case.
"The first lap I made mistake which is unusual for me. OK, I brushed it off and kept moving.
"This couldn’t be a better way to start the year. Valtteri was doing some incredible laps out there so I had to pull out something special at the end to stay ahead.”
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