Hamilton Expresses Concern as Mercedes Struggles in Belgian GP Practice

Lewis Hamilton acknowledges that the Mercedes F1 vehicle "felt entirely different" during practice for the Belgian Grand Prix.

"Clearly, the car has been performing excellently in recent races, but today it felt entirely different."

Lewis Hamilton shared that his Mercedes Formula 1 car experienced a "completely different" feel during Friday's practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix.

During the second practice session at Spa-Francorchamps, Hamilton secured only the 10th quickest time, trailing more than 1.2 seconds behind the fastest lap set by McLaren's Lando Norris.

George Russell, who is a teammate at Mercedes, performed somewhat better by achieving the sixth-fastest time of the day.

Mercedes entered the weekend with confidence, believing that Spa would be a good match for their car.

The design of the track generally benefits aerodynamic efficiency and speed on straight sections. Based on their performance at Silverstone, Mercedes had anticipated being competitive.

Up until now, the seven-time world champion has not found it easy.

"Honestly, I'm at a loss for words," Hamilton remarked. "The last few races have been fantastic, but today felt entirely different."

"We put in the effort. The initial session didn't go well. However, by the second session, we implemented some adjustments."

"It began well, but when I switched to the soft tires, I couldn't make any progress and encountered several balance problems. Although the performance improved in this session, others improved even more. Being 1.2 seconds slower is disappointing."

Belgium's weather forecast is unpredictable, with rain anticipated on Saturday during the qualifying rounds, but Sunday's race is likely to remain dry.

Hamilton thinks that if it rains, Mercedes will probably perform better.

He secured the second position in the sprint qualifying in China, where the track was wet. His sole victory of the year occurred under variable weather conditions.

“If the conditions are dry, we won’t be in an optimal situation right now,” he mentioned.

"However, we can definitely implement a few adjustments overnight. I believe that if it rains, it could create some opportunities."

"We're hopeful for improved performance. I believe the car is likely to handle wet conditions better than it does dry ones."

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