Hamilton Remains Optimistic Despite Mercedes Trailing McLaren by 0.6s in British GP Practice Sessions

Lewis Hamilton affirms Mercedes is "on the correct path" even with a 0.6s deficit to McLaren

"Overall, it felt positive. Simply not as quick as the leading teams, such as McLaren."

Lewis Hamilton remains optimistic about Mercedes' progress, even though they were six-tenths of a second slower than McLaren during Friday's Formula 1 practice session at the British Grand Prix.

Lando Norris led the field in both sessions on Friday at Silverstone, positioning McLaren as the frontrunner for this weekend's competition.

Mercedes showcased an outstanding performance in FP1, notably choosing not to use the soft tyres.

During the second free practice session, Hamilton secured the sixth quickest time, whereas his teammate George Russell finished in the 10th position.

Alarmingly, the distance to Norris was slightly more than 0.6 seconds.

Looking back on his Friday performance at Silverstone, Hamilton was satisfied with how his Mercedes responded.

"He mentioned, "I was okay," expressing overall well-being but acknowledged not being as quick as the front-runners, specifically the McLarens."

For this weekend's race, Mercedes has rolled out updated front and rear wings, tailored specifically for the circuit in question.

Hamilton minimized their importance, referring to them as "minor adjustments" yet affirmed that Mercedes is heading in the correct direction, even with a significant distance to McLaren.

"He clarified that they don't offer upgrades per se, but rather minor adjustments to certain aspects, rather than comprehensive enhancements."

"Each time we introduce a new enhancement, it's a step forward, yet our competitors also make improvements concurrently. For instance, we were trailing by approximately six and a half tenths in that instance. It might not be precisely six-tenths, but it's clear we have improvements to make."

Across the aisle at Mercedes, Russell believes the squad finds itself in a comparable situation to the latest series of races.

"He admitted, "Honestly, the morning went quite well. The car was in top form. However, we faced more challenges as the day progressed and need to figure out the reason. The wind picked up a bit. We didn't quite get the tyres right. The level of competition seemed about the same as it has in the recent races.

"FP1 showed impressive performance. It's crucial for us to figure out why there was a slight drop in speed during FP2. I'm confident that the weather changes tomorrow, especially with the current rain, will mix things up. I'm just thrilled to be part of this and looking forward to the race."

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