Encouraged by his public on a track that has given him many victories in recent years, or as a result of the best provided by Mercedes in his single-seaterHamilton, seven times F1 world champion, with problems since the beginning of the season, signed his best free practice session since last season on Friday at home.
In the free seconds”i felt pretty good“, assured the Briton, who had already been second in the first session, played in the rain.
Lando Norris’s McLaren, 176 thousandths behind Sainz, completed the top-3 of the day.
Behind them, the current world champion and leader of the World Championship Max Verstappen (Red Bull), the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), the Spanish Fernando Alonso (Alpine), the Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull), the British George Russell (Mercedes ) and Australian Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren).
“I think we know what we have to work on and we will do it tonight,” Verstappen said.
Camera to the pedals
Before, it had been Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) the fastest in the first session, with Hamilton second and Sainz setting the third time.
Nor does Charles Leclerc seem at his best, third in the World Cup and fifth in rehearsals this Friday.
The British race also marks the return of the camera focusing on the drivers’ feet. The device, which disappeared after the Belgian GP in 2000, was installed for the occasion in the car of Lando Norris (McLaren).
“This camera is in line with the innovations we have introduced in our programs to bring fans closer to the action“explained Dean Locke, Formula 1 media and broadcast director.
“F1 drivers have to simultaneously perform a number of complex tasks at speeds of up to 200mph during a race, and that camera angle – as well as innovations like the helmet-mounted camera – will help our fans to understand the challenges of being in the cockpit,” he added.
The third free trials are scheduled for Saturday at 12:00 local time (06:00 Central Mexico Time; 05:00 Pacific Time; 04:00 Northwest Time), with the qualifying session.