Lewis Hamilton believes “it’s time to really crack the whip” as the Ferrari driver looks to further close the gap on Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli at the Belgian Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion enters this weekend just 32 points behind Antonelli in the drivers’ standings and seven behind George Russell in second position, while Mercedes is just 78 points ahead of Ferrari in the teams’ standings.
Hamilton and Ferrari have been able to close the gap over the last few weekends, giving them four podium finishes in the last five races, including Hamilton’s first Grand Prix win for the Scuderia in Barcelona.
“It’s time to really crack the whip and do better,” Hamilton said at a news conference on Thursday when asked how he was feeling heading into the weekend.
“I don’t know what to expect this weekend, to be honest, in terms of the longer straights. But I love this track, the weather is great and I’m really proud of the team and the progressive steps we’re taking.”
Asked about the recent performance boost, Hamilton added: “It’s a combination of many things.
“The best performance of the weekend, the best understanding of the car, how hard the team has worked to develop it and push it in the direction that both drivers are pushing it.”
In addition to the increased performance, Hamilton and Ferrari were helped by Mercedes’ reliability problems: Antonelli was unable to score at either Barcelona or Silverstone due to car problems.
Hamilton added that while Mercedes are still the strongest team on the grid, consistency and reliability will be crucial in the race for the title.
“This happens a lot in championships and it’s really down to the amazing job the team has done in creating a reliable car for us,” he said.
“Building a fast and reliable car is not an easy task. I’m very grateful to them for that, and then I just try to get everything out of the car, every lap and every point.”