Hamilton optimistic: "I hope all teams are close during qualifying"

During the first free practice in Hungary it was Mercedes who were again the fastest. Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton are the clear favourites this season and in VT1 on Friday that was again clearly visible. In VT2 the drivers stayed in the garage, because rain didn't make it profitable to go around the track. Nevertheless both drivers are satisfied with the results achieved.

"After the first session we made some adjustments, but then it started raining. So we still have enough to learn tomorrow. The track is great when it's dry, but tricky when it gets wetter and when there's little grip," Hamilton explained in the team's press release. "It will be a lot closer together on Saturday, I hope. The teams in midfield are doing well."

Red Bull is going to be strong

"In addition, we expect Red Bull to be very strong, so I expect a good duel with that team", said Hamilton. Bottas was behind his teammate in the first free practice, but is positive about the rest of the weekend. "The car didn't feel bad in VT1. It certainly wasn't a bad start to my weekend."

"It's too bad we couldn't drive much in the afternoon. The grip was very low in VT2. I tried to go on the track with the Intermediates and the Full Wets and both tyres felt about the same. It looks like we're going to have more rain this weekend, so as a team we still have to work hard", the Finn concluded.