50 minutes before the start: commentary by Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton will start fifth and hopes to fight for victory…

Lewis Hamilton: “Usually the cooler the better for Mercedes, but when the sun comes out from behind the clouds it becomes a bit more difficult for us. Now the conditions are not the worst, but when the asphalt heats up to 60 degrees, the difficulties start for everyone. All this affects us a bit more than others.

We have struggled all year to find the right balance, and while everyone faces similar challenges, I only know what we are facing. In general, it is not easy for us, but now we are closer to normal settings and during the first practice the car performed well, even in high temperatures.

Nowadays the most important thing is to show a good pace over long series of laps, but you need to understand how long you can stay on the track before a pit stop, how to achieve optimal performance from the tires and how to keep them in the desired condition. temperature range. Let’s see who will have the worst situation with degradation, which will be an important factor today.

“I hope I can compete with the frontrunners in the race, but first I have to get ahead of Ferrari, then I will try everything to overtake McLaren. But we have to admit that in terms of race pace they are a few tenths ahead of us. It is unlikely that we can fight for the win on a dry track, but if it starts to rain, a lot can change.”