Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes Not Favorites For Remaining Races Of 2019

After three back-to-back victories for Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton said he does not believe Mercedes are favorites for the rest of the races in 2019.

From the start of the season in March in Melbourne, Mercedes clinched eight consecutive victories. However, post that, they managed to win just two more in the next seven races. With eight wins and 296 points from 15 races, Hamilton is way ahead of the others. He said worrying is not his job but that Mercedes have to be conscious of their position and Ferrari's sudden rise with just six races left in the year.

After several misfortunes and close misses in the first half of the 2019 season, things have turned around for the Prancing Horses with Charles Leclerc winning in Belgium and Italy, while Sebastian Vettel triumphed in the Singapore Grand Prix.

While championship leader Hamilton thinks Mercedes are not favorites any more for the remainder of the 2019 season, he sure thinks that his side can be challenging in the upcoming races, provided they have the correct positioning.

"I don’t think we are going to be favourites at any of the next six races but that doesn’t mean we can’t win. If we get the car in the right position in qualifying and then qualify in the right position, we have been stronger generally in most of the races. Positioning is really everything."

"I know we will make it difficult for every other team this year, next year, and potentially the years after. So, we are not going to give up. It is not part of our DNA and we will keep pushing," the reigning F1 champion added ahead of the Russian Grand Prix.

Ferrari have excellent straight-line speed and to beat them to the front row, Mercedes need to have an exceptional qualifying Saturday in Sochi.

"We know how fast Ferrari have been on the straights. In the past three races, we have been stuck behind and not able to get by. There is no point worrying but I would say in the past three races, we haven't extracted 100% from the weekend and that is what we need to get back to," Hamilton, who has won three out of last five races held in Sochi, said.