Hamilton: “Best impression here with the tires in years”

Red Bull Racing with Daniel Ricciardo, then Kimi Räikkönen and Ferrari achieved the two best performances of the day on the Sakhir track in Bahrain, dominating in particular the Mercedes W09 de Lewis Hamilton et Valtteri Bottas.

If the Finn took second and third positions this Friday, the world champion was a little more discreet in terms of timing by only achieving the fifth and fourth times. Performances to be qualified however, since the Grand Prix takes place at night, EL1 was not contested in conditions similar to those which will be encountered on Sunday in the race.

The two Mercedes drivers notably tried to understand as best as possible how the Pirelli tires work on a track that is always very dynamic between Friday and Sunday.

But in this context, Lewis Hamilton believes that the Italian manufacturer has worked well on its 2018 range. « Tires leave the best impression here in years, Hamilton confesses. It is very constant and with less degradation. »

Valtteri Bottas indicates for his part that the day at Mercedes was particularly focused on understanding Pirelli tires. “Our main objective today was to make the softer compounds work,” emphasizes Bottas.

With the Super-soft we did about the same time as with the soft, so getting the most out of this compound is the key for tomorrow. The car is handling well, but we still need to find some rhythm, especially for just one lap. So we still have work to do. »