Hamilton draws conclusions after 'incredible' Friday: can he now truly aim for a tenth win at Silverstone?

19:51, 04 Jul

byTobia Elia

Lewis Hamilton’s words at the end of the second free practice session at the British Grand Prix, with the home hero finally looking genuinely competitive in front of his fans in both sessions.

After setting the fastest time in the morning session, Lewis Hamilton had more reasons to smile in FP2, with the Brit clocking the third-best time of the day—behind a blisteringly quick Lando Norris and his teammate Charles Leclerc.

For perhaps the first time this season—aside from his standalone sprint race win in China—the seven-time world champion looked truly at ease with the SF-25.

The credit may well go to the new floor updates introduced last weekend in Austria, which appear to have given the car a significant boost in competitiveness.

The former Mercedes driver looked sharp both on single-lap pace with both tyre compounds and over long runs. The fact that his teammate is also up there certainly points to a Ferrari on the rise—possibly even capable of fighting for pole and the win on Sunday.

Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone

A 'really exciting day' for Hamilton

Sharing his feelings about how he felt in the car today in front of his home crowd for the first time as a Ferrari driver, Hamilton said: ''It’s been a really exciting day. Pretty incredible to be out on track at Silverstone in a Ferrari for the first time.''

''The car felt good in both sessions, even though I hit some traffic on my fastest lap in FP2, so there’s definitely time to find. It’s always amazing to be back here.''

''This is the greatest circuit in the world and definitely my favourite. Great to see so many people already here on a Friday. The atmosphere is just incredible.''

Hamilton obviously hopes to fight for his first pole position in red tomorrow, although even today McLaren (with Lando Norris) showed they have an extra gear compared to the others.