Hamilton feels like his eyes will pop out of their sockets in Monaco
Author of the twelfth time of the EL2 this Friday in Monaco, Lewis Hamilton did not have a first day of rest at the wheel of a Mercedes which rebounded a lot but not because of the porpoising according to the Briton.
This Friday, Lewis Hamilton seemed difficult at the wheel of his single-seater in the narrow and winding streets of Monaco with only a twelfth fastest time at the end of this first day of testing when his teammate George Russell set the sixth fastest time in PR2. This Friday evening, Lewis Hamilton explains that he had the greatest difficulty driving his single-seater today for several reasons, starting with the fact that modern Formula 1 cars are much heavier than in the past, which is a real handicap on the Monegasque route.
“I was fighting for a lap today and it’s a very different experience to previous years here in Monaco. At the time, I remember coming here with lighter, more agile cars, but now they are much heavier and that changes the experience a lot in terms of driving. » explains Hamilton to us this Friday evening.
Another element to take into account, the presence of bumps on the track since the asphalt of the route was redone: “The track has been redone, but it’s probably the bumpiest circuit I’ve ever driven on, I feel like my eyes are going to pop out of their sockets with the bumps! The car was bouncing a lot but it wasn’t an aero bounce like we’ve had so far this year but that was just because we were low to the ground and stiff as well so the flat bottom hits a lot . »
Despite his difficulties, Lewis Hamilton, however, believes that he will be able to improve his pace this Saturday before qualifying which will take place at the end of the afternoon: “We’ve improved the car for FP2, and I think we still have a lot of homework to do tonight to find the perfect balance and set-up because I haven’t put together my best sectors yet, and ultimately, the grip is quite good when we push. In the end, I think we have potential to be at the top; maybe not quite the same speed as Ferrari or Red Bull, but hopefully we can be ahead of everyone tomorrow [samedi] and Sunday]. »
Classification of the EL2 GP of Monaco