Hamilton: 'All this bouncing is giving me a headache all the time'

Lewis Hamilton did not have a pleasant day in his W13. The Mercedes driver knew beforehand that he had to expect bumps and thus a lot of bouncing, but that it would be this bad, he did not foresee. The seven-time world champion got out of the car with a headache after the second free practice session.

"The car is as it is: a lot of bounce!" Hamilton is quoted by Motorsport-Magazin.com. The Singapore Grand Prix is known as physically perhaps the toughest GP on the calendar, but the hot conditions are not the biggest problem for Hamilton. "All that bouncing makes my head hurt all the time. Look at my helmet in the onboards!"

Mercedes comes up short

In the first and second free practice sessions, Hamilton achieved a first and fifth time respectively. Mercedes is in better shape than at most other weekends in 2022, but the Briton is under no illusions. He does not think his team will grab its first win of the year at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. "We are still a second behind," he said. Toto Wolff sounded a little more optimistic after the end of the first day.

Hamilton was aiming for fourth or fifth in qualifying. Next, Sunday promises to be a long race that will not be so comfortable. "We just have to keep working hard, although unfortunately there is little we can do about the bouncing," he said.