F1 | Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton: “The rear is too unstable”

Complicated day for Mercedes, which begins the season carrying with it the ailments of the three days of testing. The rear of the W12 seems absolutely unstable: this is demonstrated by the little feeling shown by both drivers, Sir Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. The latter, surprisingly, let himself go on the radio, declaring that the silver arrow was "undriveable". Incredible, if we go back to the history that the Brackley team has been writing since 2014. Even the seven-time world champion Hamilton did not appear too convinced of the car: in the first free practice session the British driver was only fourth, with five tenths of delay on Verstappen, while he climbed to third position in the afternoon, shortening the gap from the Dutchman to two tenths.

"The car is not where we wanted it to be for this weekend. It seems like we're getting better, but it's not perfect yet, so we're working hard – admitted Sir Lewis – there is still a mountain to climb, but we are positive. We thought Red Bull would be fast, and they proved it, so they are ahead at the moment. The McLarens are in great shape and it's great to see them back so high. The long runs will be interesting. It's about stability, having a stable car and making the tires last. That's the key with these conditions and this wind."

In fact, gusts of wind of 70km/h are forecast for Sunday's race: “It's absolutely not good for us. The rear is not stable and I'm sure we're all in the same situation, more or less. For the folks at home, trying to understand, when you go into a corner and the rear moves, you try to find the most critical braking point possible. This point is usually further away when there is more downforce on the car, while now it falls faster than normal. We also lost the advantage on the tyres, we can't manage them well and this doesn't help us, but we will work on it tonight and find a way".