Coming into the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton revealed an all-important update for the fans as well as rivals. The Silver Arrows driver as per Mercedes AMG F1 News on X [formerly Twitter] shared that they’ve had one of the best starts to their race weekend after the Free Practice was over at Marina Bay Circuit.
Mercedes are still to find that sweet spot in the championship races this season. The spot that Red Bull has got and helped them to remain unbeatable this season. However, the recent updates by the British driver reflect the positive changes they have been making off late.
Furthermore, the 38-year-old driver also praised the new track layout at the Marina Bay Circuit. He loved the new changes and felt that it was more fun to race at the new layout in an all-important Singapore GP.
Lewis Hamilton praised Mercedes’ effort after a good Friday
The Silver Arrows had a decent outing during the FP1 and FP2 on Friday. In FP1, Hamilton took P5, and George Russell was in P6. On FP2 they had better standings with Russell in P3 and Hamilton in P5. This was a performance the British driver praised wholeheartedly, along with applauding the track changes.
Talking about this, the seven-time world champion said, “It was nice to finish a Friday feeling so positive. I think we’ve got a good platform to build off for the rest of the weekend. It’s the best I’ve felt from a Friday this year, so I hope we can do some good work overnight, as we always tend to do, and continue to improve.”
Nevertheless, Free Practice sessions are not the place where teams show their true potential. Something Charles Leclerc of Ferrari talked about, as the teams do not show their true pace during these sessions. Despite that, Mercedes can hope for a win.
Can Mercedes pull off a win amid strong competition?
Max Verstappen, the championship leader, did not have great FP sessions, as he took P3 in FP1 and P8 in FP2. Following the sessions on Friday, the Red Bull driver also complained about the difficulties he faced, which resulted in an average performance from him.
Furthermore, his teammate Sergio Perez also failed to show much improvement, as he finished in P7 in both sessions with the mighty RB-19. Therefore, with Red Bull in the backfoot and Aston Martin’s lack of pace, Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton only have Ferrari as their true rival in Singapore.
Interestingly, Scuderia Ferrari looks the strongest after Friday’s practice sessions as the Italian team took P1 and P2 in both sessions. Therefore, one might expect a battle between Mercedes and Ferrari, the teams that are eyeing the P2 spot in the Championship in Singapore.
