Mercedes has introduced a revised front suspension to continue the development begun with the new front wing used in Monaco, featuring a more conventional top-member design than it began the season with.
The damp track affected both sessions, thus limiting the possibility for Mercedes to learn from the improvements made, but it still helped to balance the W15 between the front and rear.
Hamilton felt confident in the two sessions on Friday and, although he noted that it is too early to predict where Mercedes will place, his initial feeling is that they can start to close in on the three most competitive teams (Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren) .
“Honestly, it’s too early to say where we are. I feel I have a fighting spirit, I feel the car reacts to my inputs and, as I said, I feel very confident,” Hamilton said.
“But we will only know on Saturday, it is often a different day for us and I hope that tomorrow is a good day. In both conditions, I felt very strong today, so I am very confident. I feel that this weekend we are closer to the best “.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
After the green light for FP1 was given 20 minutes late due to the track being too wet, Hamilton said he wanted to take to the track first and urged his team to give him plenty of track time.
He added that he was also eager to better understand the resurfacing work on the Montreal track, which was carried out at the end of last year.
“I felt great. I couldn’t wait to go, every second I was telling the guys ‘let’s get out, let’s get out’, putting pressure on them, ‘let’s go, let’s go’, just to maximize track time in all conditions.”
“It’s a particular track, so it’s about spending as much time as possible on the track and understanding both the conditions and the changes made to the asphalt and some run-off areas. It was a really good session and the car seemed strong.”
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