Lewis Hamilton seemed delighted with the two practice sessions he had with Mercedes on Friday ahead of the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix.
Circuit de Monaco isn't a circuit that could be characterized as one of the best for Mercedes in the past, and team principal Toto Wolff said this himself ahead of the first practice session.
However, the timing sheets from the first two practices suggest that this year's Monaco Grand Prix might be Mercedes's best chance so far to score big.
The seven-time World Champion scored the fastest lap in FP1, though it is important to mention that Red Bulls and Ferraris didn't run on soft-compound tires.
But even when they did, only Charles Leclerc managed to put in a faster lap than the 39-year-old in FP2. Hamilton was the second quickest driver in the second practice, also beating drivers like Lando Norris or Max Verstappen.
Speaking to the media at Circuit de Monaco after the second session, the seven-time World Champion said, as reported by crash.net:
"It's been a good day, definitely. The best day we've had, on-track. "he 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."
What plays in Mercedes's and Hamilton's favor is that the car's true performance does not play as big of a role in Monaco. It's rather the setup and driver's skill combined with a lot of risk-taking.
The 39-year-old is, of course, one of the most skilled on the grid, so he will be looking to make the most of what Mercedes has this weekend. He added:
"What was a surprise was the grip level and how the car was reacting. 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."
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