Hamilton reflects on Barcelona upgrades: "I have zero feel of it... We are obviously not quick"

Lewis Hamilton concluded his single Friday practice session in ninth, a worryingly 1.2 seconds off the pace, leaving the Briton with more questions than answers over new upgrades.

Lewis Hamilton during FP2 testing his new upgrades. Credits: Formula One

A positive weekend for Lewis Hamilton around the twisty streets of Monaco meant the Briton arrived in Spain fresh off a podium finish, a much-needed boost in morale after the rocky start to the season. The P2 position meant Hamilton moved up into second in the Drivers' Standings, 66 points adrift of Mercedes' rapid Kimi Antonelli.

The first practice session saw a handful of rookies stepping into Formula One cars for FP1, with Dino Beganovic piloting the Briton's Ferrari for an hour. Hamilton returned to his cockpit on the cusp of evening, with Hamilton rounding out the session with a lacklustre ninth position.

Lando Norris clocked in the fastest time of 1:15.426, with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc faring better in fourth, just three-tenths off the pace. It was a difficult session for Hamilton, who reported an issue with his SF-26, before finishing the second 1.2 seconds off the pace.

Hamilton reflected on the session following the conclusion of the second practice of the day:

“I only had [FP2], so it was an unusual one, in the sense that I think the majority of the drivers – maybe not Lando – that missed the first session were quite far off their team mates in the second session.

“Because it’s so hot, the tyres only last one lap, so it’s tricky to get into [FP2] and only have two laps, basically. I don’t really know what I’m going to do with the car, and hopefully tomorrow we’ll have a better day.”

The seven-time world champion was quizzed about the latest Ferrari upgrade. The significant package made its debut in Barcelona, which included changes to the front wing, diffuser, floor and sidepods. In response to the question, Hamilton provided a sobering assessment of the SF-26: “I have zero feel of it, so I have no idea where… We’re obviously not quick…

“Charles has obviously had two sessions, and I think he’s four-tenths or something off the McLarens and the Mercedes, so clearly we’re quite a chunk off still, but hopefully tomorrow we can try and close the gap a bit.”

Despite a difficult session, Hamilton will have another hour of practice on Saturday to fine-tune the car before the afternoon qualifying session in Barcelona.