Lewis Hamilton completed a perfect opening salvo when he outpaced championship leading Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in Friday’s closely competed second free practice for this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix.
The defending three-time world champion, who was fastest in the morning’s opening session, stayed on top with a best lap in 1 minute, 12.271 seconds, an advantage of just 0.03 seconds ahead of Rosberg.
The 31-year-old Briton was satisfied with his efforts, but warned that in the high temperatures with unpredictable weather forecast, he had done nothing more than make a good start in his battle to hang on to the championship.
Photo: Reuters
“It’s been a good day,” Hamilton said. “We got through all of our run programs and the car is feeling really good. It’s pretty tough out there physically right now with the heat as high as it is. Not just in the car, but for the guys in the garage too. Finding the right balance isn’t easy either in these conditions as the tires are getting really hot, but our long run pace seems to be strong so we can be happy with the start we’ve made.”
On a hot day with clouds threatening, there was little to separate the two title contenders, but Rosberg did enough to suggest that even if he does not take the title with a decisive victory in today’s race he will retain the initiative.
Rosberg needs to complete a hat-trick of Interlagos triumphs to claim his maiden drivers’ championship, but knows that with a 19-point lead and two races remaining, two second places will be enough.
“It’s been very hot out there, more so than we expect it to be for the rest of the weekend. As a result, that makes it difficult to fully prepare for qualifying and the race,” Rosberg said. “Other than that, it was a pretty normal Friday. Our car looks quick, but Red Bull are definitely close. The soft tire is degrading quite a lot on the long runs, with blistering on the rears. There’s a surprising amount of degradation on the medium tire too, but I think overall we’ve got decent pace on the long runs.”
Hamilton is seeking his first win at the Brazilian event, the only race on the calendar other than the new European contest held in Baku that he has not won.
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