Friday: The Mercedes seem to be on the right track
The Mercedes AMG F1 drivers claimed the podium positions today, and Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg believe they have a good chance this weekend. Both men aim to deliver a strong performance to secure the team's second place in the constructors' championship.
Lewis Hamilton – 2nd and 3rd:
« Today, it has been a standard Friday program for me, even though the second session is always more interesting here because it reflects the race conditions more. With the drop in temperatures, the car’s characteristics change and you have more understeer, so the main challenge is trying to guess the settings you’ll need. Physically, it’s easier when the sun sets but you don’t even notice the change in visibility because they do a very good job with the track lighting. A good start today but there is still a lot of work to do this weekend and we are going to give everything we have as always. »
Nico Rosberg – 5th and 5th:
« We didn’t learn much during the first practice session today because it was so hot and we won’t have these conditions during qualifying or the race. I struggled a bit with the soft tires but was able to find a better rhythm when we switched to the mediums. It should be an interesting race from a strategy standpoint because the tires seem to be on the edge between 1 and 2 stops. Our goal is to be the best of the rest again, which I am confident we can achieve, and to score big points again. »
