“A good start to the weekend” for Mercedes

Without forcing too much, the pilots Mercedes took turns setting the best time in the two free practice sessions on the day's program. In a circuit which is rather successful at the Silver Arrows, Lewis Hamilton et Valtteri Bottas felt comfortable behind the wheel of their respective W12.

« It's a good start to the weekend. The track is great, similar to what we had in the last race (Portugal Grand Prix). It seems tight but we have a good rhythm », Explains the first quoted before his teammate continues behind him.

« Not a bad start. The feeling with the car was good. It's always good to start like this. We didn't have any major balance issues to report during the day. ».

Thumbs up! 

It's a beautiful day in Barcelona, @LewisHamilton is happy, we're happy Let's do this! #SpanishGP  #F1 pic.twitter.com/Wcqn5mxIx6

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 7, 2021

Despite the " work done on the car », Lewis Hamilton believes that there is “ good conclusions to draw » after these two hours of driving even if he expects to be a notch above for qualifying. “ I hope that after analyzing today's sessions we will have better settings on Saturday ».

This Friday was also the opportunity for the two representatives of the German team to try the new turn 10 for the first time. A change that Lewis Hamilton did not really understand. “ There is not as much grip as other parts of the circuit but I think there will be an improvement during the weekend, says the world champion. I don't understand what the problem was with the old bend. The new one is much faster but I haven't been able to try it in the race yet so I don't know if it will be better or not during the Grand Prix ».

We BCN! Tea @Circuitcat_eng is a proper all-rounder, testing all elements of an @F1 because! 

There's a wide range of corner speeds – for example, slow corners like Turns 14/15 test mechanical grip, while fast corners like Turn 9 test aerodynamic grip! #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/xdiiXTs9oX

- Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@ MercedesAMGF1) May 7, 2021

Valtteri Bottas for his part found himself with a corner from which he noticed big differences even if he does not expect a big impact on Sunday. “Turn 10 is really different. However, I don't think he will make a huge difference in the race. Certainly we can use different lines to avoid the dirty air in front of us but overtaking at this point will still not be easy.”