Mercedes fastest again: Hamilton and Russell see team making strides

"FP1 wasn't the best session for us but we still learned quite a lot. FP2 was a lot better though and the car was feeling great. The track was very hot, so it was tough on the tyres, especially on the long run. Overall, though, it didn't feel like we were too far off being right in the mix at the front," Hamilton revealed after FP2.

Mercedes drivers optimistic after FP2

"We have taken a step forward with the car in recent races. Everyone has worked so hard to get us to this point and make those incremental gains. We've got a clear direction of where we want to go moving forward too. We're starting to see that feed through to our performance on track. Hopefully we can continue the momentum from today into Saturday and get closer to our competitors ahead."

Whereas Hamilton finished FP2 as the fastest man, Russell had to settle for P8. The younger Briton is therefore more cautious with his statements. "We had a good day on track today. The car was performing really well around this circuit. It was encouraging to see Lewis top of the timesheets and we were consistently at the front."

"Our long run pace in FP1 was competitive. In FP2, it seemed that our single lap pace was slightly stronger than our long run speed but overall, the car is feeling strong. It is only Friday, but it has been a while since we've been consistently at the upper end of the field. I'm feeling good and excited as this is what we've been chasing for a while. We won't get ahead of ourselves though and will work diligently tonight and tomorrow to prepare as best as we can"

This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy