F1 digest: Lewis Hamilton ‘can’t lose any more points’ to Sebastian Vettel

Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton is already 17 points behind Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel going into this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix and the Mercedes driver admits that he can’t afford any more slip-ups in the 2018 title race.

Vettel has maximum points after winning the opening two races of the season, in Australia and Bahrain, but Hamilton goes to China having previously won there a record five times. The British driver is hoping for another good weekend in Shanghai.

He told Sky Sports: “It’s always been a good track for me. So I really hope that I’m able to climb the ladder and get back to where we’ve been working towards being in the last two races.

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“There are good things to come, but I am 17 points behind and I can’t afford to lose any more points to Sebastian.”

Management changes at McLaren

The BBC reports that McLaren have restructured their F1 management team. While driver Fernando Alonso is fourth in the drivers’ championship, there are concerns over the McLaren car’s pace.

Executive director Zak Brown has formally been appointed as the new CEO of McLaren Racing. Brown will be in charge of the F1 programme with racing director Eric Boullier reporting directly to him.

Gasly: Bahrain finish will help me

Toro Rosso driver Pierre Gasly believes his fourth-placed finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix can help his development in F1.

The 22-year-old Frenchman made his F1 debut in last September’s Malaysian Grand Prix and secured his first points in Bahrain on Sunday.

Despite the 12-point finish, Gasly told F1i.com that he still has a lot to learn. He said: “It was a very important experience to stand on the grid next to Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas. They’ve been in F1 a long time.

“Now I’m with very experienced and talented drivers and I cannot make a mistake. I have a lot to learn, but Bahrain helped me a lot.”