F1 | Hamilton smiles: “Surprised, but we're in the mix for the podium”

It had been a long time since Mercedes had finished a free practice session in the lead with both cars but, above all, it had been a long time since Lewis Hamilton had been so satisfied with how the free practice day had gone.

It is undoubtedly early to draw hasty conclusions, especially considering that on the other side there is a serene Max Verstappen, aware of having a car on his side which, at least over the long distance, has given very encouraging indications, more than those that have been seen on the flying lap.

At the end of the tests, James Allison said that he saw himself slightly ahead of Ferrari in terms of race pace, while there was still something to improve on qualifying. It will be interesting to observe the values ​​on the field tomorrow, when we will no longer be able to hide behind different mappings, but we will have to give everything.

According to Hamilton, the day progressed, especially after an FP1 in which the wind direction changed significantly compared to last week's tests. Bahrain is often famous for its gusts, which can significantly change the balance of the car.

“This was a crazy Friday. I was late this morning. FP1 was surprising, this morning it was very, very windy. So it was a really difficult session, I think for everyone. The track was very different to last week's practice and, otherwise, the sensations were good, but we weren't sure where we were with the C2 tyre,” explained Hamilton at the end of the day.

“And then in this session [la FP2], the car, we made some improvements over the course of the session, again, I don't understand, it's a shock to see where we are, but we'll take it for now. But we can't get too big, we have to keep our heads down and continue working on the set-up. And try to achieve more.”

However, Hamilton is aware that Red Bull, especially with Verstappen, risks still being a true reference in terms of race pace, where he was the only one to consistently lap under one minute and 37, while all the others aligned on the low 37s. Clearly it is difficult to know exactly the fuel loads, but the Englishman believes that the team from Milton Keynes still has an advantage: “I think that the pace on the long run is nowhere near comparable to that of the Red Bulls, for example, so we need to work on this aspect.”

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Although it is early to draw definitive conclusions, Hamilton thinks that Mercedes is still in contention for a position on the podium, together with Ferrari, Aston and McLaren, who proved to be within the space of just a few tenths in terms of pace. Qualifying will therefore also be fundamental, so as not to remain in the dirty wake of another car in the first part of the race.

“I think we will be in contention [per il podio]. It's a little too early to say, but I think we're there or there and then with Ferrari and Ferrari and maybe Aston and McLaren. I don't know exactly where we are with them, but we're around there. It will be a close battle, a good battle. If Max is in front, he will pull away like he has done for the last two years.”

A final thought went to the behavior of the car, which this year has also been extensively revised to adapt to the needs and requests of the Englishman, who is often very open about what changes needed to be made to make the W15 more competitive. The new single-seater has a further back driving position compared to the cars of previous years, it has a more stable rear, even if this has partly influenced the effectiveness of the front end.

For now, however, the seven-time world champion said he was very satisfied with the progress of the weekend, especially from the point of view of the sensations behind the wheel: “This year I am much more comfortable with the car, my position as sitting is finally further back, I have better sensitivity when negotiating curves. But there are also other areas that have been fixed and improved. And for once it feels like we're in a race for something, whereas the last two cars weren't. So it's a great platform to work on. We just have to keep our heads down and keep chasing.”