Mercedes nearly 'perfect' as happy Hamilton sets the pace in Melbourne
Lewis Hamilton blitzed the opposition in practice in Melbourne on Friday – including Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas – and in so doing laid down a marker for the rest of the season.
After much anticipation surrounding Ferrari’s potential, it appeared to be business as usual as Hamilton proved to be half a second clear of the chasing Sebastian Vettel and Bottas.
“It was 99 percent perfect,” said Hamilton. “After struggling with some issues in Barcelona, we didn't know if we'd have the same thing here. What's really encouraging is that we've arrived at the track just a week later and the car is exactly where it should be.
“It's feeling great out there, and the guys have done a fantastic job. We've shown good form so far on both the long and short runs and we got every lap done that we wanted to. The tires performed really well today too.”
Hamilton insisted he didn’t expect to be so competitive: “Coming into today, we really didn't know where we'd be. We knew from FP1 that the Ferrari's weren't at their maximum. Of course, in FP2 all of a sudden they were quick. We'll see tomorrow how it really stands.”
New Mercedes technical director James Allison said he was pleased with progress.
“It always seems like a bit of a cliché to say that we were pleased to get through our program smoothly. But in the first practice sessions of a new season - particularly under new regulations like these - it's especially important to achieve that and also to leave the car intact for Saturday. On both counts, I think we can say that today was a smooth day.
“Our long run pace looked decent but it's harder to tell where we stand at this stage in terms of single lap pace. We'll find out tomorrow. Overall the car seems strong, so we're looking forward to seeing what we can do with it.”
