Do Hamilton and Russell think Mercedes can win three races in a row?

"Today wasn't our best day of the season so far," Hamilton said. "The car set-up didn't feel great, and we weren't on our best form. We made a few small tweaks between the sessions but nothing major. We've got some ideas as to why the car wasn't at its best though so we will work hard on it overnight, looking to make improvements ahead of tomorrow."

The top teams do not seem to be far away from each other in both qualifying runs and long runs. "The competitive order is very close once again out there," the seven-time world champion also estimated. "Whilst our single lap pace wasn't the best, our long run was decent. We are still a step behind the ultimate pace at the front but will do what we can to close as much of that gap as possible for Saturday." The 104-time Grand Prix winner concluded.

Russell tempers expectations

George Russell also stressed the importance of management for Sunday's race. Tyres will wear out quickly due to the high temperatures, so tyre management becomes crucial. This in turn requires a good set-up.

"We got a lot of laps in today on the long run. That is really useful data for us to go through tonight. It will help dictate our strategy for the rest of the weekend and inform any improvements we can make to the car ahead of tomorrow. The McLarens and Red Bulls looked very quick today, so we know we've got some ground to make up. We don't seem to be quite as competitive in these very hot conditions so that is something we need to understand. We're excited to see what we can do tomorrow and hopefully, we will be in the mix in the top five."