Hamilton: "The car feels fantastically fast"

Lewis Hamilton ended Friday practice as arguably the happiest man. The Brit topped the timesheets in both practice sessions today. While his advantage is FP2 was slashed heavily by Sebastian Vettel who lurks close behind, Hamilton admits that his Silver Arrow felt very rapid.

"It’s been a really good Friday with no major headaches to complain about so far," Hamilton said. "We had to swap out a spark plug during FP2, but the guys did a great job to turn the car around and we still managed to complete our program. Most importantly, the car feels fantastically fast here. There’s already a nice balance and it feels good out on-track."

In 2017, the cars are much faster through corners than previous years due to the higher levels of downforce they're able to create. Hamilton has said that his car this year is "so quick" compared to last year.

"This car is so quick in comparison to what we raced here last year. It’s tricky, but a proper thrill to hook up a lap. The team is in good spirits and we’re all up for another exciting fight with the Ferraris this weekend."

Fergal Walsh