Mercedes drivers think they still have more under their belt at Monza

If the rivals of Mercedes were not sufficiently stunned when reading the times of the first free practices of the Italian Grand Prix, the debriefing of the drivers in Brackley (United Kingdom) is not likely to boost their morale. 

Lewis Hamilton et Valtteri Bottas took turns at the top of the standings this Friday at Monza. In the morning, the Finn was ahead of his teammate by 0”245. Mercedes' closest rival, Alexander albon on Red Bull, then stood at 8 tenths. 

Hamilton finally set the first benchmark of the weekend in the lead in the afternoon with a time of 1'20''192, or 0''262 ahead of Bottas. The first of the non-Mercedes in the Free Practice 2 ranking was the McLaren de Lando Norris, pushed back 9 tenths from the infernal duo. 

Differences which are in line with the trends observed since the start of the season in Austria 2 months ago. Bottas was, however, surprised by the lead of the Black Arrows at Monza this Friday, while Hamilton half-heartedly acknowledged that the fight for pole on Saturday would only concern him and his garage neighbor. A constant in 2020. 
 
« I feel like we made progress between Free Practice 1 and 2, reported the six-time world champion Friday evening. This morning, the feeling behind the wheel was not extraordinary. We were sliding quite a bit with our low downforce configuration. In the afternoon we made adjustments which bore fruit.

It’s a bumpy track where you have to find the right balance. We can still progress to reach the target level. Valtteri is fast here and there aren't many corners so it's harder to build a gap. I'm going to focus on finding the right balance to go fast on a lap because it's quite hard to overtake here ». 

Bottas also believes that he still has more under his belt, both on the car and driving side.

« The car behaved well throughout the day but there is still room for improvement., confided the Finn. I suffered from a lack of stability in a few turns. This was the main problem. The differences with the rest of the field are a little surprising at this stage of the weekend. My lap in EL2 wasn't great in terms of pure driving so I can do better on my side too ». 

Beyond their insolent domination, the two Mercedes drivers consider inevitable the repetition of the scenario seen in qualifying last year, namely an extremely slow train of cars at the very end of Q3 in an attempt to find a clear piece of track or else slipping into a competitor’s aspiration.

« Last year we failed to complete the last flying lap and I expect it to be interesting again, Hamilton recalled. I heard that we were perhaps going to introduce a minimum time for the launch laps. Maybe this will help. But it will again be a nightmare to find a slot with a clear track ».

Given the level of performance of the W11s, we dare to predict without too much risk that the Mercedes drivers can take a comfortable safety margin and let their competitors squabble for positions on the track. And the honorary place of “best of the rest”.