Hamilton struggles: 'I can only have empathy'

Lewis Hamilton has had a relaxed first day in France. Whereas his team-mate George Russell was in action in the first and second free practice sessions, the seven-time world champion only had to participate in the latter session.

Mercedes opted to let Nyck de Vries take part in the first practice session, meaning Hamilton was only on the track for one hour. The Briton managed to set the fifth fastest time, almost a second slower than Carlos Sainz who set the fastest time.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the race Hamilton was left feeling frustrated by the gap to the competition: "I can only have empathy for the guys that are even further back. I think generally, this generation of car is definitely nowhere near as good as it used to be in terms of grip but it also is the first year of this generation. So I’m sure it’ll get better over the years. But we have work to do."

Hamilton on podium in France

Despite this, Hamilton is holding out hope for the rest of the weekend. "That doesn’t mean that we can’t be on the podium, I think we can still be up there. Just still not as quick as those front guys and a bit further back than we were the last race."