Lewis Hamilton stated that Mercedes had their “best day” of the 2024 F1 season during Friday practice at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion topped opening practice before ending the day with the second-fastest time in second practice, only 0.188 seconds behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
It capped off an encouraging display from Mercedes in what has been a disappointing season so far for the German manufacturer.
“It’s been a good day, definitely. The best day we’ve had, on-track,” Hamilton said.
“The car was a positive, I enjoyed driving it. The track is amazing. The grip is quite good. We still have some challenges with the balance but it looked strong.”
Monaco track shots *chef’s kiss* 👌 pic.twitter.com/VvVM2dqqTJ
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) May 24, 2024
Hamilton also asserted his Mercedes W15 was much more enjoyable to drive around the streets of Monte Carlo than the two previous versions of the car.
“What was a surprise was the grip level and how the car was reacting,” the 39-year-old added. “Definitely a more enjoyable ride than we’ve had here previously, in the last two years particularly.
“The second session, I don’t know if we improved. On the long runs we have to work to do overnight to make sure we can make it until the end of the race. We need to improve long run pace and graining.”
Hamilton will hope his strong Friday showing reflects during the qualifying session on Saturday.
