F1 | Mercedes, Hamilton cautious despite his race pace: "We need to solve some problems"

Lewis Hamilton completed a devastating Friday for all his opponents. The English driver, second a few thousandths behind Bottas in the final classification of the day, carried out a race pace simulation unattainable for anyone, often lapping in the low 30s at the end of the session, sometimes giving even two seconds to the Ferrari and over a second to the Red Bull. With these conditions, the English driver may have no rivals on Sunday, with the exception of Bottas, the only one capable of seriously worrying him at the moment, but he remains cautious in his post-session statements.

“It was very windy, so it wasn't the easiest Friday ever, but it looks like we'll be in the fight – said a modest Hamilton. It's difficult to make predictions after the first day, even if the Ferraris are usually slower on Friday and then pick up the pace on Saturday. The new asphalt is good on the straights, especially between turns 4 and 6, where it was quite bad before. It also flows between Maggotts and Becketts, as well as on the straight. This type of smooth asphalt makes it difficult to make the tires work, and strong winds are not easy to handle, so I had to struggle with the rear end and went off the track a few times, while Valtteri looked much more comfortable in the car. Tonight we will work hard trying to understand what problems we have and how to solve them."