Lewis Hamilton acknowledges the need for rain at Spa-Francorchamps during the qualifying session for the Belgian Grand Prix following a challenging first day of practice. The Mercedes driver described the day as “pretty bad,” despite the team debuting updates to their W15 car, finishing a second behind McLaren, the fastest team.
In the second practice session, George Russell secured the sixth-fastest time, while Hamilton lagged slightly behind in 10th, struggling with balance issues during his soft-tyre run. Hamilton reflected, “It was a pretty bad day… It just felt completely different today. We made some changes that started off great, but I just couldn’t improve and faced balance issues throughout the lap. To be 1.2 seconds behind is not great.”
Although Friday’s weather did not impact the session, rain is expected for Saturday, and Hamilton feels this might benefit Mercedes. “If it rains, that opens it up a little bit, and hopefully, we can do a better job. I think the car should perform better in wet conditions,” he stated.
George Russell also commented on the competitive landscape, recognizing McLaren and Red Bull as the teams to beat. He expressed confidence that Mercedes could make crucial setup adjustments to improve their performance throughout the race weekend. “We’ve got some work to do tonight. McLaren is definitely a step ahead of us at the moment, and so is Red Bull,” Russell noted.
The Belgian Grand Prix weekend is set to feature a packed schedule, with early sessions on Saturday leading up to qualifying at 3 PM local time. This race marks a significant point before the F1 summer break, with all eyes on Spa-Francorchamps as teams strive for competitive advantage.
The thrilling action continues in the Belgian GP, and fans can look forward to every moment live from Spa as the excitement builds.
