Hamilton: “The hypersoft tire seems to be the best Pirelli”

Lewis Hamilton was among the most diligent during the first day of Pirelli testing at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. The pilot Mercedes, author of the third time almost a second from the reference achieved by Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari), finished the session with 136 loops covered, just one less than Romain Grosjean (Haas) who was the most productive on the track this Tuesday.

The first opinions on the new rubbers seem to differ, with Kimi Räikkönen estimating that the differences are slight while Romain Grosjean rather evaluates these new rubbers as being more efficient but with a narrower performance margin.

Lewis Hamilton, for his part, seems to have been convinced by the future hypersoft tire with pink sidewalls.

“I'm not a big fan of testing, but this first day of testing with these new tires was positive, notes the four-time world champion. We were able to complete many laps and collect a lot of data to ensure we were moving in the right direction during the winter. Here we have a first look at Pirelli's 2018 tires. »

“The new hypersoft tire seems to be the best Pirelli since their return to F1, confirms Lewis Hamilton. I found the other tires a little too hard for my liking but it's moving in the right direction. »

The Briton will not return to the W08 this Wednesday for the second day of testing. He can now take advantage of the truce.

“It’s a great way to end the season, my last day behind the wheel of the W08. I’m ready to take a break.”, concludes the Mercedes driver.