Lewis Hamilton vows to “dig deep” to see off the challenge of Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari at the British Grand Prix.
The local favourite finished second to his Mercedes teammate in second practice on Friday with just 0.069s between the two drivers.
However, that didn’t tell the full picture as Hamilton suffered an error-filled day with a number of off-track excursions around the Silverstone circuit.
“The asphalt is very smooth which makes it tricky to get the tyres to work, they’re in and out of the window, and the gusty winds didn’t make it easy,” he explained, referencing the new track surface that has been laid ahead of the race.
“I was struggling with the rear end and went off a few times, but Valtteri seemed much more comfortable in the car, so we are going to dig deep tonight trying to figure out what the issue is and how we can solve it for tomorrow.”
Hamilton is also keeping an eye behind him with Charles Leclerc just over a tenth slower in third for Ferrari, this despite Mercedes having a significant advantage during the long run.
“It’s always difficult to say after the first day and the Ferraris are usually a little bit slower on a Friday and then pick up the pace on Saturday,” the championship leader commented.
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As for Bottas, on a weekend when he can make a big statement by beating his teammate at his home race, he appeared much more confident in his Mercedes car having topped the timesheets at Silverstone.
“I’ve had a good day from the get-go, both in terms of my own performance and the set-up of the car. It’s always a nice feeling when you start a weekend like that,” Bottas said.
“The car seems quite well-balanced, but I think there’s still room for improvement. It felt quick around the corners so that’s a good thing.
“I still think it’s going to be close again tomorrow and it will be all about who finds the most performance tonight and tomorrow before qualifying, but it’s nice to start the weekend on a positive note.”