© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
After the Monaco Grand Prix Free Practice 1 & 2, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas feel the cars ahead “might have a bit of an advantage”.
Although he finished in P5 in Free Practice 1 and P3 in Free Practice 2, Lewis Hamilton is generally happy with today’s sessions.
“Generally it just feels really cool to be back on track,” the Briton said.
“It’s rapid, this track, it’s absolutely mesmerising, every time you get the opportunity to drive. So yeah, I’ve generally enjoyed today. It’s a challenge, naturally.
“I think the Ferraris are really strong, surprising to see them improve so much, but that’s great. It means more competition.”
With Ferrari topping FP2, Lewis was asked if he believed the results are a reflection of the Italian team’s true pace.
“I’m seeing what you’re seeing. I’m generally just focused on my job. It looks like it. We’ll see.”
Ultimately the Briton is pleased with his car overall.
“I think the car is good, we’ve made some decent steps with the balance of the car. I’m generally really happy.
“I’ve got some changes I’ll probably make this evening as we analyse today. It’s going to be close [in qualifying].”
If you like SilverArrows.Net, consider supporting us by buying us a coffee!
Valtteri Bottas, however, had a tougher time. He finished FP1 in P6 and FP2 in P5.
“Today, for the first [push] lap, I couldn’t get [tyres] to work yet, so we need to work hard tomorrow and try to figure it out,” the Finn said.
“I feel like some cars might have a bit of an advantage to us, on that. From my side, I’m lacking from the front end in the car on this track.
“We’ve had similar issues, a little bit, in some tracks, mid-corner, and this is mainly medium and slow speed corners.
“If you don’t have the feeling on the front, if it’s going to turn in or not, you can easily lose quite a bit of time.
“Also, it feels like our car is a bit stiff, like all the bumps and the cambers on the corners, it’s quite upsetting.
“So it’s something we’ll have a look into,” concluded Bottas.
