 Sir Lewis Hamilton is not a confident man going into the British Grand Prix after two awful practice sessions on Friday. Hamilton had played down expectations going into the weekend following a dismal Austrian Grand Prix last time out. But few could have predicted how off the pace Mercedes would be at Silverstone, with the seven-time world champion ending FP1 in 12th and FP2 in 15th – around 1.2 seconds slower than leader Max Verstappen. Teammate George Russell was equally slow, while fellow Brit Lando Norris fared little better in his McLaren. In better news for the home fans, London-born Thai driver Alex Albon shocked and impressed everyone by finishing both sessions in third-place, with the Williams car well-suited to the high-speed Silverstone circuit. But that was little comfort for Hamilton who cut a despondent figure in the paddock, telling Sky Sports: 'It's a tough car to drive. No matter what we do to set it up, it continues to be a tough car to drive. 'On a single lap I didn't feel any improvement between tyres, which shows something is wrong. We are missing something. The long run didn't seem to be too bad, so that's a positive at least. Alex Albon remarkably got his Williams up to third in both practice sessions (Photo: Getty) 'It didn't feel particularly great [on the soft tyres]. The last part of my run felt more consistent for whatever reason. It could be wind, it could be balance or me getting used to the balance. 'This track is about trying to weigh the scales the whole way round and making compromises here and there. It's such a fine edge the balance. It's a good battle. Of course practice may not reflect everyone's true pace but when asked if he had any ideas on how to get his W14 back to the front of the grid, the 38-year-old replied: 'No. Me and George were just talking. Like Hamilton, George Russell is struggling for pace in his Mercedes (Photo: Getty){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Sir Lewis Hamilton is not a confident man going into the British Grand Prix after two awful practice sessions on Friday.
Hamilton had played down expectations going into the weekend following a dismal Austrian Grand Prix last time out.
But few could have predicted how off the pace Mercedes would be at Silverstone, with the seven-time world champion ending FP1 in 12th and FP2 in 15th – around 1.2 seconds slower than leader Max Verstappen.
Teammate George Russell was equally slow, while fellow Brit Lando Norris fared little better in his McLaren.