Hamilton: Bottas’ time is promising

Lewis Hamilton was behind in the first day of testing for the Azerbaijan GP in Baku. Fifth in the first session, the driver Mercedes slipped to 10th place, more than a second behind the benchmark achieved by Max Verstappen (Red Bull).

“It was a difficult day, recognizes Lewis Hamilton. This circuit is tough and we had some difficulties with things to test. We clearly still have a lot of work to do before qualifying, but Valtteri's time in FP2 looked promising. So there is clearly potential, which is encouraging. »

Valtteri Bottas seemed in better shape by setting the second fastest time, one tenth behind Max Verstappen.

“The first practice session was complicated. We were struggling with the car's settings and it wasn't well balanced, explains the winner of the Russian Grand Prix who set the 5th fastest time in EL1. We made changes for the second session and the car became more agile. We are moving in the right direction and I hope we will improve further this evening. »

“Multiple yellow flags interrupted the pace on a circuit where it is difficult to get the tires up to temperature, especially at the front, and this could have affected our position in the standings today, analyzes James Allison, the technical director of Mercedes F1. The time will improve further with the rubber placed on the track and the drivers gaining confidence. The gaps are also particularly tight at the front. »

Mercedes won last year in Baku, but it was Nico Rosberg who took the top step of the podium. Lewis Hamilton finished 5th ahead of Valtteri Bottas who was still playing for Williams GP.