F1 News
Hamilton buzzing after a 'really good' Friday in Las Vegas
Lewis Hamilton is feeling very confident in his Mercedes after returning to the top of the timesheets on Friday in Las Vegas. After a disastrous weekend in Brazil, a Friday clean sweep has given the seven-time world champion some hope for the rest of the weekend in Sin City. After topping FP2, the Brit spoke to the media and reflected on the session.
Hamilton: 'The car was feeling really good'
Speaking to F1TV after two first places on Friday, Hamilton was asked how he felt after a confidence-boosting day: "Yeah, pretty good. I mean, it's the first time that I've actually had a day like that, I think, this year. The car was feeling really good in FP1, FP2 less, so we've got some work to do overnight. But it's difficult to know exactly where we are or why we are where we are. But I'm really enjoying driving the track. And I think we'll see whether the car is still the same tomorrow," the Brit began. Mercedes have been strong in flashes in 2024. They sit comfortably in fourth place on 382 points and have won three races this year. Still, they've been unable to challenge McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull for the majority of the season, with their cars proving too quick for The Silver Arrows.
"I mean, yeah, hot conditions are a little bit worse for us, but the race pace is not that great. So the work I've got to do overnight is to try and figure out how we can have better race pace without losing actual pace throughout a lap. But it was, as I said, nice to get consecutive sectors and the car not throwing me off," he continued. Hamilton struggled in Brazil, finishing 10th and 50 seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen.
"I'm feeling good in myself"
Despite the recent knockback and criticism he's received publically from Jeremy Clarkson, who called him 'too old', Hamilton remains faithful to his own abilities. "I'm feeling good in myself, yeah. I know, like I said, coming into this weekend, I know it's not my driving. And so I just got to work hard overnight not to make big changes and hopefully get some good rest of the night and come back strong tomorrow."
The 105-time Grand Prix winner will be hoping to hit the jackpot in qualifying tomorrow. With just three races left to go with Mercedes, a good result can help him end on a high.
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