Hamilton hopes for a tighter peloton from qualifying

It was a bit like “two rooms, two atmospheres” for Lewis Hamilton and most pilots in Hungary. After a first free practice session held on a dry track, the second confrontation of the day saw the competitors face a soggy Hungaroring.

The world champion took no risks in FP2, completing only one installation lap at the wheel of his Mercedes W11. “We did everything necessary in the first session, admits Hamilton.

The car behaved although there is still work to be done. So we made some changes for the second session and then the rain came, so we still have some learning to do tomorrow.

It's a great track to ride in the dry, but it's very tricky in the wet and the feeling of grip was quite low today. »

Weather conditions which do not allow us to draw too many conclusions about the hierarchy according to the Briton, who nevertheless hopes to see an increase in competition. “It's strange to think that we are in the middle of summer and to face this weather for the last two weekends,” said Hamilton.

I don't get too much out of it. Everybody's doing something different, a different program in terms of fins and fuel and engine and all that kind of stuff.

We managed to do what we needed to. Looking ahead to tomorrow's qualifying, I think it's going to be a lot closer because it's not a circuit where power plays a big role.

I'm hoping for a tighter field, it would be great to see the Renault efficient. THE McLaren are doing a fantastic job, as are the Racing Points, it's really exciting to see. We also expect that Red Bull be strong, so I foresee a tough battle with them. »