Lewis Hamilton: “We’ve definitely improved in some way – and I’m not quite sure why.” His Mercedes teammate George Russell set the pace in P2, tenth ahead of Charles Leclerc, and Hamilton fourth; watch the entire Miami GP weekend live only on Sky Sports F1
Last updated: 05.07.22 13:34
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Lewis Hamilton admits he was a little confused by the strong performance in P1 and P2, saying the car felt similar to previous weeks
Lewis Hamilton admits he was a little confused by the strong performance in P1 and P2, saying the car felt similar to previous weeks
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were encouraged but puzzled by Mercedes’ return to the Miami GP, but insisted that the recovering world champions are not favorites, although they are on top on Friday.
After bringing a number of improvements to the new US street race, Mercedes suddenly jumped from Formula One’s third fastest team to the lead, while Russell overtook Charles Leclerc in the Second Run – with their “striking” troubles seemingly mitigated and unlocked the pace. are expected for all season.
Hamilton was fourth, two-tenths of Russell’s, and said, “I feel like me. We seem to be faster here, and they later explained to us that we’ve definitely improved in some way – and I’m not sure exactly why so.
“We still have the jump, so we haven’t cured it, but we’re improving the car little by little.”
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Karun Chandhok analyzes the action from the second training session of the Miami GP
Karun Chandhok analyzes the action from the second training session of the Miami GP
Mercedes owes its increase in wealth to a combination of improvements – including front and rear wings – and the Miami Gardens track, which has lower downforce and thus helps all teams with their bouncing cars.
“I really don’t understand, to be honest, why we threw ourselves on the ground,” Russell said.
“We always knew that coming on the weekend, the conditions should suit us better, because we struggled with the warming of the tires. It’s certainly important, but the car works well.
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Louis Hamilton was told to take off his earrings and be exempted from two nose piercing races after Formula One continued the crackdown on jeweler pilots.
Louis Hamilton was told to take off his earrings and be exempted from two nose piercing races after Formula One continued the crackdown on jeweler pilots.
To further improve the mood of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull had a hard time on Friday with the crash of Carlos Sainz and problems with the reliability of Max Verstappen.
But Russell added: “It’s only Friday, we don’t get too carried away.”
Hamilton behind Russell again, Red Bull watching Mers
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Christian Horner says he knew that “it was only a matter of time” Mercedes have managed to solve some of their problems after a good performance from both cars in P1 and P2
Christian Horner says he knew that “it was only a matter of time” Mercedes have managed to solve some of their problems after a good performance from both cars in P1 and P2
Mercedes’ form has led to a consensus in the paddock that there could be a real battle of three teams this weekend in Miami, for the first time this season, after Ferrari and Red Bull dominated the first four races.
Red Bull, last year’s rivals of Merc and favorites for this weekend, were impressed – team boss Christian Horner told Sky Sports F1: “From pre-season training, I say it’s only a matter of time before they recover.
“It simply came to our notice then.
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George Russell was optimistic after both Mercedes cars performed well on the first day of the Miami GP
George Russell was optimistic after both Mercedes cars performed well on the first day of the Miami GP
“The characteristics of this chain obviously also help, but you can see that they are starting to deal with their problems and look competitive.”
While Mercedes was quick to warn you not to read too much in training time, Hamilton finished behind Russell on Friday – the teammate who lags behind in the championship – in both training sessions.
“I’m still struggling with the car,” Hamilton explained. “George looked great there, but we’re trying a lot of different things. We’re going to get closer and hope to get better.”
Russell added: “You have competitions where things work in your favor and others where everything works against you. Imola was not the strongest track for us, but far from what we see, the car works well around Miami.
“It was definitely a really productive day for us and probably the most productive Friday we’ve had.”
The litmus test for Mercedes comes in the form of a qualification, live on Sky Sports F1 tonight from 21:00.
The full schedule for the Sky Sports F1 weekend
Saturday, May 19:00: W Series Qualifying 17:45: Miami GP Training Third (session starts at 18:00) 19:10: W Series Race One ** 20:15: Miami GP Qualifying 21:00: Miami GP Qualifications * 22: 45 pm * Note: Ted
Sunday, May 20:20: W Series Race 21:00: Grand Prix Sunday: Miami GP Build-up 20:30: Miami Grand Prix * 22:30: Plaid Flag: Miami GP Reaction * 23:30: Ted’s Notebook *
* Simulation in the main event of Sky Sports (simultaneous transmission of qualifications and the competition from 20.30 and 19.30, respectively) ** Simulation of Sky Showcase
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