After a complicated Belgian Grand Prix, which saw Lewis Hamilton retire on the first lap after a spectacular collision with Fernando Alonso and George Russell finishing in fourth position, Mercedes went to the Netherlands with many doubts.
Within the team there was uncertainty as to how the indecipherable W13 would react on the asphalt of Zandvoort but, surprisingly, the eight-time world champion team car immediately found itself at ease.
At the end of FP1 George Russell and Lewis Hamilton closed the session with the first and second reference, while in the afternoon the two star riders signed the third and fifth time with the seven-time world champion just 72 thousandths of a second from the performance obtained by Charles. Leclerc.
After the first day of activity on the track, Mercedes will have to confirm itself both in qualifying and in the race, but Russell admitted that there were positive signs today.
“The car is working better, there is no doubt, but tomorrow will be a hard-fought qualifying. I think McLaren will be as fast as Aston Martin. We are aware that the flying lap is our weak point, but in the race we will be able to redeem ourselves ”.
“Obviously it will be essential to qualify in a good position because it is impossible to fight for first or second place if you start from the third row”.
During the opening minutes of the afternoon session, the teams and drivers faced an unusual problem. Suddenly the monitors went haywire thus complicating the regular work schedule.
“It was a bit of a tricky session because the timing monitor wasn’t working and we couldn’t understand our pace in the long runs. Now we will try to collect as much data as possible, but we are in a relatively good situation ”.
George Russell, Mercedes W13
Photo by: Erik Junius
Given the conditions, it is possible that Russell will be able to bring Mercedes back to the top of the time table at the end of qualifying. The Englishman wanted to throw water on the fire and not give in to easy illusions.
“I think what happened in Hungary was unique. Our rivals weren’t able to express themselves at their best that day, while we did an amazing job and everything went well. I would be shocked if I managed to get pole in the Netherlands, but we are very close ”.
Lewis Hamilton also seemed satisfied at the end of the day today. If in Spa the Englishman seemed disconsolate on Fridays, today in Zandvoort Lewis is smiling again.
“It was a good start to the weekend and I feel much more comfortable with the car. We have made progress on a completely different track from Spa. We are not that far behind again ”.
One of the weaknesses of the Mercedes W13 is the ability to immediately warm up the tires, a defect that is negatively reflected in qualifying.
“This track is very aggressive for the tires so we will try to exploit this aspect to get the tires up to temperature immediately. However, it is too early to say what will happen, but in any case we have been much closer than in the past. Tonight we will work hard to solve some problems, but if we continue to make progress it will be fantastic ”.
Before leaving the microphones, Hamilton wanted to talk about Verstappen’s complicated Friday.
“He had a bit of a difficult day and lost most of the first session, but Red Bull has about six or seven tenths in their pockets, so it will be relatively easy for them.”
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