Hamilton: W08 feels fantastically fast here

Editor

Lewis Hamilton says his W08 feels “fantastically fast” around the Red Bull Ring where he claimed the practice double on Friday.

The British racer started Friday’s running with a new lap record on the soft tyres and lowered that to a 1:05.483 in the afternoon’s session when he ran the ultrasoft tyres.

It wasn’t, however, a completely trouble-free day for the Brit as he lost a bit of a track time when Mercedes had to change a spark plug.

“We had to swap out a spark plug during FP2,” he said, “but the guys did a great job to turn the car around and we still managed to complete our programme.

“Most importantly, the car feels fantastically fast here. There’s already a nice balance and it feels good out on track.

“This car is so quick in comparison to what we raced here last year. It’s tricky, but a proper thrill to hook up a lap.

“The team is in good spirits and we’re all up for another exciting fight with the Ferraris this weekend.”