Mercedes suspects Ferrari of hiding its game after free practice

The team Mercedes set its milestones during the day on Friday in Sochi (Russia). Without hurrying, Lewis Hamilton et Valtteri Bottas started the weekend with the third and fourth times of Free Practice 1 in the morning. Both men chose soft tires (yellow sidewalls), the hardest compound brought by Pirelli to Russia.

A few hours later, the Silver Arrows increased the pace considerably. The leader of the general classification led his Finnish teammate to achieve a tandem of best times in EL2 (1’33”385 for Lewis Hamilton, 1’33”584 for Valtteri Bottas) with super soft tires (the grippiest tire of the meeting).

SOUND ON

P2 in second practice for @ValtteriBottas at Sochi

Secures a 1-2 for @MercedesAMGF1

But could it have been even better for the Finn? #RussianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/S15zKQc53C

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 28, 2018

For Lewis Hamilton, these sessions allowed him to try new parts developed by engineers from Brackley (Great Britain). “There is so much going on at the factory, it’s really encouraging to receive these improvements so late in the season, knowing that we are already working on the car 2019. It boosts me to give the best of myself » explains the four-time champion.

However, he remains cautious about his potential, keeping in mind his race the previous year. “Sochi was one of my weakest tracks (in terms of performance) in the past, especially in 2017.” Lewis Hamilton finished just off the podium, more than 30 seconds behind Valtteri Bottas.

“So I carried out a big program to understand the balance on the single-seater. This day was useful in this area. » His partner Valtteri Bottas spoke of " Have a good day ", even if there remains “still more work to do”. So far, nothing new.

Friday @SochiAutodrom

Felt good out there today, but working on every possible gain for tomorrow. Looking forward!

Read about our day:https://t.co/OftG7DlYlK# VB77 #F1 #RussianGP @MercedesAMGF1
S. Etherington pic.twitter.com/U5jm31KzPa

- Valtteri Bottas (@ValtteriBottas) September 28, 2018

Where the Finn innovates in his speech is during his analysis of the performance of Ferrari. In EL1, Sebastian Vettel set the best time, before falling into line. “Looks like the Ferrais haven't revealed everything they have in their stomachs. They will probably be stronger tomorrow (SATURDAY). I think it will be very close, so we need to keep pushing,” specifies the winner of the previous edition.

Valtteri Bottas also extends Lewis Hamilton's thoughts on the balance of the car on the 5,853 km long track. “It’s very complicated to get the settings perfect for each corner, because the balance changes throughout the lap. »