Hamilton says Thursday was a "dream" for Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton admitted that Thursday's practice sessions were a "dream" for Mercedes, with the five-time world champion topping both FP1 and FP2 in Monaco.

Hamilton dominated both sessions for the Silver Arrows in Monte Carlo, and the reigning world champion has described the day of action for Mercedes as a "dream".

"It's the dream for every driver to come to Monaco and have a car that you can exploit and utilise your abilities with," Hamilton said. "I'm really proud of the team.

"Naturally our goal is to try and do something really positive this weekend. We've made some small tweaks over the two sessions and during the sessions as well, but I've been quite happy with the set-up."

Hamilton's best lap of 1:11.118s was substantially quicker than the quickest time in the same session last season by Daniel Ricciardo - who recorded a 1:11.841.

"Every year we come back here, it gets faster and you really notice it when you're going past the barriers," Hamilton acknowledged.

"Coming into Turn 12, you carry so much speed into that corner, and then there's just the wall in front of you; going up the hill to Casino it's the same thing. It's incredibly intense out there and you have to be so focused."