Russell did a great job, everyone knows it – Hamilton

Hamilton took some time to get back to the rhythm of F1 (Photo: AFP)

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In the first free practice, Max Verstappen, but in the second, led by Valtteri Bottas, the Mercedes duo took the lead in Abu Dhabi. Recurrent after coronavirus infection Lewis Hamilton it struggled with braking issues during sunny practice, while in light the steering wheel had to be changed several times, but overall it was positive on Friday.

“I was very happy and grateful for the morning to be here again and strive to finish the season. It felt like the first day of school. It took me a while to shake myself off again, and even the second workout wasn’t real, but overall it wasn’t bad. I think we managed to do most of the program even though we lost almost forty minutes due to the brake problem. We also had to go through a lot to try next year. The guys are already working really hard for the 2021 season “- Colonel 203 explained, who finished second behind and whose time, although he ran better than Bottas’s, his lap was canceled due to the widening of the track at the last corner.

Hamilton’s return also mentioned how it felt to miss a race for the first time in his career, and also spoke a few words about George Russell’s presentation at Mercedes.

“George did a great job, everyone knows that. For me, the situation was a bit strange, as I have been racing for twenty-seven years and have never missed a single race before. I will write a book on this one day. Now I just want to enjoy the weekend and what I’m doing, everyone has worked so hard at the factory and it’s an incredible honor to be able to compete with them this year. We have nothing to prove, and I don’t feel like I have to prove anything, I just want to feel good. ” Added.

TEAM Chuffed to get the 7x Champ back to where he belongs and doing what he does best. @Lewis Hamilton #AbuDhabiGP pic.twitter.com/n7grZQtWwp

– Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@ MercedesAMGF1) December 11, 2020

The British teammate, Bottas he also spoke with satisfaction after free practice and said he was satisfied with Hamilton’s return.

“It’s great to see you healthy and fit again. His illness was not so mild, so I am very happy for his return. As for the car, it felt good immediately, although we still have work to do in balance. It’s not easy to find the correct settings, the car was understeer in some corners, I suffered with my back elsewhere, but we are not too far from the solution, this has also been shown in the lap times. However, today I was unable to get the soft tires into the proper operating range when I started on my fast nails, I just had no traction. They were still too cold, and then when I tried it a second time, they were already overheating. We still have work to do, but the medium tires performed well. ” Finn summed up.

Finished third in light training Verstappen Like Hamilton and Bottas, the soft rubber was unable to run a fast lap, the Dutch also turned towards the limits of the track, as many riders were deprived of their lap time on Friday due to the track widening at turn 21.

“I’ll see what the others say at the race meeting, Friday However it’s always about pushing the boundaries and finding them to understand exactly how far we can expand the trajectory. Everyone is paying a lot more attention to the timer though, so I don’t think that’s a problem. ” Red Bull shared his opinion.

The long-awaited presentation was also made in the first free practice, as the son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, Mick schumacher was officially introduced to Formula One. German driver Kevin Magnussen, who signed a multi-year contract with Haas and won his F2 championship last Sunday, was able to occupy his car for the first hour and a half. Schumacher’s boy training with the team boss, Günther Steiner set.

“It performed very well. It drove perfectly. He had the speed, did not exceed and completed the agreed program. He also had good feedback and is aware of where he wasted his time, which is great. He sat in an F1 car for the first time, but he did a great job. He also had good communication with the engineers, he was very respectful and in a good mood ” Steiner praised next year’s driver.

We tried for the first time @SchumacherMick in F1, during # FP1 # HaasF1 # Haas100 #AbuDhabiGP pic.twitter.com/9qeXVC0MXs

– Haas F1 Team (@ HaasF1Team) December 11, 2020