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Dutch Grand Prix

Hamilton reveals 'EXCITEMENT' after major Mercedes change at Dutch Grand Prix

Hamilton was in an upbeat mood ahead of Saturday's qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix

Luis Raya

Friday 25 August 2023 21:27

Lewis Hamilton has revealed his excitement upon driving for Mercedes again ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, insisting that the W14 was feeling much better out on track at Zandvoort.

The seven-time world champion has arrived at the Dutch Grand Prix with renewed energy after the break. In the first of Friday's practice sessions, Hamilton secured third, trailing Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso.

In the second free practice session, Hamilton ended up in fourth place, with compatriot Lando Norris achieving P1.

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And the Mercedes driver has remained positive, believing that the team has pace to extract for the weekend ahead.

“It was great," Hamilton told Sky Sports after Friday's practice sessions. "I woke up this morning, so excited to get in the car.

"FP1 was actually a really good session for us, the car was feeling good from the get-go thanks to great work from everyone at the factory. We made some changes from FP1 to FP2 [and] it wasn’t as good.

"But it’s good data to have and so we’ve got some work to do tonight to see if we can turn it around for tomorrow. We’re there or there abouts. Not as quick as the Red Bulls and obviously the McLaren looked really quick. We’ve got some work to pick up."

Hamilton looking for balance

Hamilton finished fourth in the 2022 Dutch Grand Prix

The pit stop strategy will be a key factor on Sunday, and Hamilton mentioned that everyone experienced tyre overheating during the Friday sessions.

Last year, there was a wide variety of strategies, with many drivers opting for three stops while others went for two, so collecting tyre data is proving crucial for race strategy.

“It’s a little bit everywhere," he added. "The McLaren was much quicker in the first sector than us. Particularly on a long run, it’s tyre overheating which I think everyone has had and it’s trying to make sure you extract the most out of the tyres and get the tyres into the right window to start your lap.

"We’ve been slow in the first sector, but good in the last sector, so just trying to find the right balance there."