Hamilton, talking earlier than he drove within the afternoon session, was optimistic about his first pre-season check along with his new group.
“I really feel like we have constructed a extremely good basis however these guys on the market look actually aggressive, it seems very shut,” he stated.
“That is essentially the most optimistic feeling I’ve had for a very long time.”
However his day ended early when Ferrari curtailed his working prematurely, earlier than he was in a position to full a deliberate race distance.
Hamilton was practically 0.5secs faster than team-mate Charles Leclerc however was working a tyre compound one step softer. He additionally drove within the afternoon session whereas Leclerc went within the morning.
Pre-season testing is a notoriously unreliable indication of true competitiveness as there are such a lot of components that may distort the image.
Groups don’t reveal the specification through which they have been working their automobiles, and gasoline masses and engine modes have a serious influence on efficiency.
As well as, the climate circumstances on Friday have been very totally different from the day earlier than – Friday was sunny and significantly hotter, with a stronger wind, which means the observe was slower than it had been on Thursday.
Regardless of Verstappen’s tempo, the Pink Bull regarded troublesome to drive, and the group have been making an attempt out totally different set-ups and configurations on the automotive, together with swapping between two totally different entrance wing specs.
The four-time world champion had a spin late within the day at Flip One.
