Despite finishing second fastest to team-mate Nico Rosberg in both Friday free practice sessions on Friday, Lewis Hamilton felt it was a good day on track in Bahrain.
The reigning World Champion finished half a second adrift of his Mercedes AMG PETRONAS team-mate in first practice, but closed the gap to just 0.241s during second practice under the lights at the Sakhir International Circuit, with both Mercedes drivers well clear of the rest of the field.
Hamilton felt Friday in the desert was a productive one, especially as the team worked on understanding how the Pirelli tyres will work, and is now keen to improve the car overnight to take the fight to his team-mate on Saturday.
“That was a good Friday overall,” said Hamilton. “The car is performing really well here. There were no surprises or issues to report throughout both practice sessions, which is always a good sign.
“Understanding the tyres has been key to our work today as they’ll be a big factor this weekend. There’s some work to do tonight in terms of finding a few improvements from the car and also my driving style.
“I’m looking forward to getting back out there and making some more progress tomorrow.”
