Lew can forget it, Vet

LEWIS HAMILTON has told Sebastian Vettel to forget about strolling to his fourth world title.

The three-time world champ racked up his second win of the season last Sunday in Bahrain to open up a 10-point lead at the top of the drivers’ championship.

But Mercedes ace Hamilton says it is too early to throw in the towel and is delighted with his start to the campaign, as he is just 27 points behind the German.

He said: “Seb always seems to win in Bahrain, so that was no real surprise for us.

“I don’t think it will be the same for Seb in all the races plus Red Bull have seemed to struggle in some qualifying sessions.

“The Bahrain GP could turn out to be one of the worst grands prix for us because we had a lot of problems with the car.

“We were on the back foot all weekend, so to come away with a fifth place when I started in ninth, was really pleasing.

“I turned a negative into a positive and now had two thirds and two fifths. When I was joining a new team, I thought it would be a lot worse than that.”

Hamilton also praised his former McLaren boss, Martin Whitmarsh, for his handling of the battle between Jenson Button and Sergio Perez.

The team-mates clashed on two occasions during the race, with Button giving his new colleague a dressing down over the team’s radio.

And while Button and Perez have now resolved their rift, Hamilton says it was good to see them being allowed to be competitive with each other.

He added: “They had a good battle. That’s the good thing about Martin, he allows his drivers to race.

“That’s what he has always done from the time that I was there. He doesn’t change in that respect.

“As long as we are all racing together, effectively and with respect for one another, it’s not a concern for me.

“We’re there to race, we just have to remember what is best for our teams and take care that we don’t take each other out.”

Meanwhile, Hamilton’s Mercedes team are believed to be in talks with former F1 driver Robert Kubica about helping them develop their simulator.

The computer set-up is designed to replicate the movements and performance of the team’s race car.

However, Hamilton has already revealed that Mercedes’ version was not a patch on that he used at McLaren.

Kubica, 28, is eyeing a return to F1 after severing his arm in a horrific rally accident in 2011.