Lewis Hamilton: Why Hockenheim practice won't mean much

Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton: Why Hockenheim practice won't mean much

He's not worried about Ferrari's advantage, then.

Matthew Scott

Friday 26 July 2019 19:15

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Lewis Hamilton says trying to judge the pecking order at the German Grand Prix from Friday practice may be a futile exercise, with changing weather conditions set to throw the order in the air.

Ferrari finished one and two in both FP1 and FP2, Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc topping a session each, as the mercury soared at Hockenheim.

While Mercedes have put fixes in place for the cooling issues which hampered them in Austria, the searing track temperatures in Germany made tyre wear excessive – although this is not expected to be seen over the weekend, when lower temperatures and rain are forecast.

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"It's not been the best of days in terms of the heat, but pretty straightforward otherwise," Hamilton said.

"We're hoping the weather won't be like this for the rest of the weekend. If it's cooler and it's dry, nothing from today really applies - the tyres will come back towards us and everyone will be quicker and more comfortable on the track."

Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas believes Ferrari may retain their edge, even if the weather does change dramatically.

He added: "So far, it all seems to be in the right direction but there is so much overheating on the tyres today that it is hard to know where we stand.

"In terms of pace, some runs were a bit better than others but our overall feeling is that in these temperatures, we're probably sitting a little bit behind Ferrari."