Lewis Hamilton has likened the bumpiness of Silverstone’s resurfaced track to Nurburgring’s Nordschleife, and reckons the British Grand Prix will be the most physical event of the Formula 1 season.
Organisers at Silverstone opted to resurface the entire track layout early in 2018, ostensibly to aid MotoGP riders, but several drivers highlighted the bumpy nature of the circuit in practice.
Hamilton led the way in the opening practice session before falling behind title rival Sebastian Vettel in the second session – albeit his FP1 time remaining the day’s quickest overall time.
“The track is the fastest it has ever been; we’re flat out through Copse and Turn 1 and through Turn 2 with the DRS – it’s insane how fast it is,” he said.
“The faster this track gets, the better it gets. It has to be the best track in the world, it feels like driving a fighter jet around the track.
“However, it is also the bumpiest track I’ve ever experienced; it’s like the Nordschleife!
“With the speeds we’re going now and the G forces we’re pulling, I think it’s going to be the most physical race of the year.
“I was on the Soft and the Medium tyres today; the Soft felt better than the Medium, and they seem to last – which is impressive if you look at the forces and loads they have to take on this track.
“It’s going to be very, very close this weekend, the Ferraris are really fast. We’re in for a serious fight which is great for the fans and I hope that we can pull through.”
Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas finished behind Hamilton in both sessions, taking second in the day’s opening encounter before slipping to third in the afternoon.
“The track is quite different compared to previous years – there's a lot of grip from the new tarmac, but at the same time a lot of bumps,” he said.
“Luckily, it doesn't seem to affect us in terms of performance, only the high-speed corners like Turn 9 or Turn 13 are a bit trickier. But it's not a big issue since we also gained grip from the new tarmac.
“The Ferraris look really competitive; I expect us to find more performance for tomorrow, but it is going to be really close.”
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