"It's just moving around at the moment and we're trying to narrow that performance window," says world champion after latest start-line problems in Canada
Monday 20 June 2016 13:28, UK
Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes are working on making his race starts more consistent after more problems at last week's Canadian GP.
The world champion has yet to convert any of his four pole positions in 2016 into an immediate lead of a race, with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel the latest to get the jump on him last Sunday in Montreal.
Hamilton has only held or gained positions when he has qualified further down the grid due to reliability problems, while the race in Monaco, which he ultimately won from third, started behind the Safety Car.
Ahead of this weekend's European GP in Baku, Hamilton, who set the opening day's pace in both practice sessions, says the team are working tirelessly to get on top of the situation.
"We look into it every single day," he said. "It's a conscious thing and I've got constant goalposts that are moving.
"The last one wasn't great, it was the second to last worst. But then China I had the best of the whole pack.
"So out of seven races, and the five or six starts it's been or whatever it is, there has been one fantastic one, two good ones and two not so good."
Ecclestone tips Hamilton for title
Hamilton cited clutch trouble for his poor getaway in Canada, when he was also challenged by team-mate Nico Rosberg into turn one before the pair banged wheels. Both front row-starting Mercedes cars were overtaken by Vettel, who started behind them in third.
"It's just moving around at the moment and we're trying to narrow that performance window," he added. "It's too far difference between the spectrum. We are trying to get them more consistent."
In a bid to hand back more control to drivers, the tightening of radio rules and implementation of single-paddle clutches for 2016 has been designed to create more variable getaways at the lights among the drivers.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff accepts the fact that there is likely to be a greater differential than before, but says the world champions are still working to improve their system where they can.
"This is now a nature of the sport," he said.
"Having said that, there is room for optimization in the clutch and its operation and execution of the drivers. It is a tricky operation but we are working on it."
