Lewis Hamilton feels Mercedes is on the front-foot at the Canadian Grand Prix after a “strong” day of running in mixed conditions.
Rain was a constant threat at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with pure lap times not that important owing to the changing conditions as drivers and teams fettled their machines ahead of expected similar wet running for qualifying and the race.
Hamilton finished FP1 fourth on the timesheet and was seventh quickest in FP2, with the caveat that the lap times were not overly representative.
Despite not setting the headline times, Hamilton was buoyed by how responsive the W15 was and felt it was a good building block for the rest of the weekend.
“The car felt strong throughout and I didn’t even get to finish what would have been my fastest lap,” he said.
“This is one of the best circuits we go to, so I really enjoyed myself out there. Recently, Saturdays have proven more challenging for us, but I feel confident out there and that the car is reacting to my inputs.Â
“Ultimately, we won’t know until [qualifying] just where we are in the order but it was a really good day overall.”
Hamilton up for Mercedes Canada fight
Hamilton has won the Canadian GP seven times, last doing so in 2019 but despite being the joint-most successful driver in the world championship history of the event, alongside Michael Schumacher, he was still relieved to put the laps on the board.
“It felt great out there, I was raring to go throughout no matter what the conditions,” he added.
“I was pleased that we were able to maximise our time on track as that is what is needed around a circuit like this. It’s all about building your pace.Â
“It was also about understanding the conditions plus the new surface they’ve laid.”