Hill on Ferrari's strength: "This is the turning point"

Shanghai (SID) The strong start to the season by Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari is increasing belief in Formula 1 that the Mercedes era is coming to an end. "This is the turning point," said former world champion Damon Hill on Saturday on British broadcaster Sky Sports: "We have seen Mercedes dominate for so long. But empires rise and fall. Maybe a new Ferrari era is just beginning." Hill was referring to qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, where Vettel and his teammate Kimi Raikkonen took the front row of the grid for Ferrari. The duo had already achieved the same thing at the last race in Bahrain; the last time there were two “red” starting rows in a row was in 2006. Vettel also won the first two races of the season, something record world champion Michael Schumacher last achieved for the Scuderia in 2004. Before the race on Sunday (8.10:50 a.m. CEST/RTL), Vettel leads the championship standings with 33 points ahead of defending champion Lewis Hamilton (XNUMX) in the Mercedes. "It certainly looks like the tide has turned for the first time in the turbo-hybrid era," Hill said. Since the introduction of the new engine regulations for the 2014 season, Mercedes has won all titles in the drivers' and manufacturers' championships. The Silver Arrows have been particularly strong in China over the past four years, but now Vettel and Ferrari are set for victory at the Shanghai International Circuit. For Hill, the current results are also relevant with a view to Hamilton's pending contract extension at Mercedes. "If this is the beginning of a new era, then Hamilton should think twice about signing a long-term contract," said the 57-year-old. The contract extension has been expected for a while, but Mercedes has not yet announced anything.

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Hill on Ferrari's strength: "This is the turning point"

The strong start to the season by Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari is increasing belief in Formula 1 that the Mercedes era is coming to an end.

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