Hamilton: Sauber and Force India look competitive

Although Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari are the team to beat, the McLaren racer has given a glowing endorsement to Sauber and Force India saying they're looking rather competitive.

With pre-season testing now a thing of the past, Formula One is trying to figure out what - if anything - the timesheets told us.

Quickest in the last two tests at Jerez and Barcelona, McLaren are without a doubt looking strong while although Ferrari failed to lead the way, the Scuderia are believed to have the better long distance pace.

There were, however, some surprises on the timesheets as both Force India and Sauber mixed it up at the front of the pack.

And although the initial reaction was that both teams were running on fumes, Hamilton reckons that may not be the true story.

"I think team-wise we've got us, Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, Sauber and Force India. For me, these look like the most competitive teams," he said during a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes phone-in.

"In terms of the drivers, you've Felipe (Massa) and Fernando (Alonso), you've got me and Jenson (Button), probably (Sebastian) Vettel and Mark Webber - they've got a quick car - and Michael (Schumacher) and Nico (Rosberg).

"So it's really difficult to say who is the most competitive one out of all of them, but at the moment the Ferrari looks the fastest I think."

Hamilton, though, isn't the only McLaren driver who believes this year's Championship could see a few new teams entering the fight for race wins and podiums.

"I think there are more than four teams at the front," Jenson Button told Reuters Television.

"You've got us, Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull, but you've also got Sauber, Force India are not far behind, and the Williams. So it's very, very competitive, which is good to see."

Source: Hamilton: Sauber and Force India look competitive - Planet-F1 News from planet-f1.com