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Lewis Hamilton thinks that Ferrari holds the advantage after Friday practice, claiming that the Prancing Horses are two-tenths of a second ahead of the reigning champions.
Mercedes had a quiet start to the weekend, with both drivers finishing in the mid pack after FP1, before Hamilton's fastest lap was compromised by a slow Nico Hulkenberg on the racing line heading into turn 10.
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Vettel finished the two practice sessions fastest, but Hamilton reckons that on the long-term pace, Ferrari currently holds the edge.
"It was incredibly hot early on, with some of the very toughest conditions – both physically and in terms of working with the tyres," said Hamilton after Friday practice.
"We got through that and then it was much cooler in the afternoon, giving us a much better representation of what qualifying and the race will be like. I was able to get a much better understanding of where the car is in FP2.
"It was very close, with Ferrari fastest. In race-trim they seem a couple of tenths quicker, so I'm expecting a great battle tomorrow and then again on Sunday. We'll work as hard as we can to try to close that gap."
Fergal Walsh
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Replies (2)
Login to replyf1fan0101
Posts: 1,804
Looks very close, Ferrari looking quick over 1 lap
mcbhargav
Posts: 1,332
200 msec looks like a fair assessment. But, Come Friday, turn on the Oil drinking mode on the Merc PU, Ferrari are back into 2nd row.