Lewis Hamilton thinks Mercedes are finally “on our way” after a promising Friday at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The eight-time defending Constructors’ champions finished second and third in second practice at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and were the only other team than Ferrari to post a sub-1m20s lap time.
Mercedes’ improvement comes after the first major upgrades were introduced aimed at tackling the porpoising issue which has plagued the team in the opening five races.
And Hamilton could certainly feel the difference.
“We’re not the quickest yet but I think we’re on our way,” he said post-practice. “We’ve brought a few upgrades and we now need to fine-tune them.
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“I’m super happy with the progress, so a big, big thank you to everyone back at the factory for not giving up and for continuing to push.
“It’s the first time we’ve driven down the straight without bouncing, we’ve still got some bouncing but it’s way better, so it’s starting to eke into a bit of the potential in our car.
“It’s still tough out there with the car but it’s much nicer than it’s been before so I’m really grateful for those upgrades.”
Mercedes’ long run pace was also encouraging as they were in the ballpark with Ferrari, albeit a few tenths behind Max Verstappen’s average lap time in the Red Bull.
“Overnight there’s lots of data to go over and try to position the car,” Hamilton added. “I think we can get it into an even better place for tomorrow so hopefully we can tackle the heels of the guys up ahead.
“[Tyre] degradation is going to be key here, with these tyres you can’t attack, attack, attack – they require a lot of management in these temperatures.”
Teammate George Russell was the faster Mercedes in Practice, finishing less than two-tenths behind pacesetter Charles Leclerc.
Back at it in Barcelona. ?? pic.twitter.com/DfXZyy7f1U
— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) May 20, 2022
And like Hamilton, he was confident the pace seen on Friday can be replicated for the rest of the weekend.
“In Miami, we were quickest on Friday, here, we’re second but the car is definitely reacting differently because we’ve got different limitations this time,” he explained.
“Red Bull still looks very, very strong, they look a team to be reckoned with at the moment. [But] I see no reason why we can’t be as far away from the front as we showed, if not a little bit closer.”
Russell, however, was still a little wary of suggesting a three-team battle for victory was on the cards in Spain.
“There’s differences with power modes. I think Ferrari and Red Bull were in their lowest power modes, so they’ve got a bit on us there,” he suggested.
“Degradation was massive for everyone, and that’s going to be make-or-break in the race on Sunday so that’ll be our focus tonight.”
