Lewis Hamilton believes he has taken “a step forward” and is vowing to push himself to the limit for the “mind-blowing” Silverstone crowd.
The seven-times world champion has been struggling all season but had his best Friday performance of 2022 at his home Grand Prix. After the first practice session was ruined by showers, Hamilton was second-fastest in the second session as upgrades on his Mercedes appeared to be working.
His performance delighted the huge home support and Hamilton sounded unusually confident of giving them something to cheer about in qualifying and on race day.
He said: “We're fighting the car a little bit. I know our pace isn't as good as the other guys, but it's not miles off, so we've definitely made an improvement. I'm sure we can work and improve the car a little more.
“I think it's still bouncing quite a bit, not necessarily in the straight line but through the corners is pretty harsh. Not physically harsh but just like in the car, on the tyres and everything so we've still got work to do. It feels like a small step forward.”
While the new developments on the W13 seem to have worked, Mercedes’ biggest asset is behind the wheel of their number 44 car. Hamilton has won the British Grand Prix eight times, loves the track, and he clearly gets a massive lift from the home fans.
He said: “The fans give me hope. It's so good to see them. Already, yesterday, at the grandstand, was kind of mind-blowing – but just seeing them around the track today, I’m so appreciative of all the support.
“It was such a big turnout, so thanks to everyone for coming and we're going to work as hard as we can to give them a good result.”
His team-mate George Russell was eighth quickest but most British hopes are on the 37-year-old Hamilton. And despite a whole host of distractions and Mercedes' season-long struggle for pace, Lewis’s boss Toto Wolff believes Hamilton is the man to deliver in times of trouble.
He declared: ““Lewis thrives on adversity and when things are being thrown at him, that is when he becomes unbeatable.
“On-track adversity drives him and off-track adversity drives him, too.”
