Mercedes, now Hamilton smiles: "We are on the right track"

Five Grand Prix waiting were needed, but finally Lewis Hamilton it can manifest a feeling similar to joy. At the end of PL2 of the Spanish GP, the seven-time Mercedes world champion was able to celebrate an excellent third position in the qualifying simulation, carried out with the red tires: the Englishman stopped a couple of tenths behind Charles Leclerc, being preceded by a few thousandths of a second by boxing mate George Russell. But Hamilton also got behind Sainz, Verstappen and Perez. A positive sign, which seems to certify the smooth operation of updates introduced by the Brackley team. If on the single lap the silver arrows go well, then the indications emerged from the long runs are even better.

In the final part of the session, with medium tires, both Hamilton and Russell showed an enviable consistency and speed. The # 44 maintained consistently around the pace of 26.5, half a second slower than an impressive Verstappen, but also slightly faster than both Ferraris by Leclerc and Sainz. In particular, the interesting comparison is with the Monegasque, who used, like Hamilton, medium tires. Miami Mercedes also shone on Friday, only to ‘bounce’ back between Saturday and Sunday. This time, however, also thanks to the upgrades brought to the W13, the common feeling is that the Star’s house can really battle with good reason – if not for victory – at least for a place on the podium.

Speaking to the official F1 microphones at the end of the hot Spanish day, Hamilton himself finally expressed some good humor in the statements, not hiding the fact that the team has finally found the right direction in which to proceed: “We’re still hopping a little – he said referring to the porpoising problem – but it is much better. The car is much more beautiful than before. We are not the fastest team, but we are on the right track. We are trying to exploit the potential of the car. I am happy with the updates – the final comment of the vice-world champion – but now we have to fine-tune them in the evening. I think we can get an even better position for tomorrow. I hope to fight with those who precede us“.