Lewis Hamilton's upbeat verdict after heading Spanish GP practice

Lewis Hamilton believes Mercedes are “definitely in a better place” after showing great speed once again in Friday F1 practice for the Spanish Grand Prix.

Hamilton topped the timesheets in FP2 ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

The seven-time world champion’s impressive one-lap pace continued Mercedes’ recent renaissance.

George Russell claimed pole position last time out in Canada and looked like Mercedes had the quickest car in dry conditions last time out.

Mercedes appear to be in the fight again with Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

While Hamilton isn’t focusing on the lap times, he’s adamant the Mercedes W15 is feeling better to drive.

“P1 was so so. I went in the direction with the car, we learned a lot in that session,” he said. “P2 definitely felt quite a bit better. We made some good changes. The car felt really great today.

Very hot, the track. Very tough for the tyres especially on the long run. It doesn’t feel like we’re too far off. I won’t take much notice of lap times, necessarily. The car is definitely in a better place.

“We’ve got work to do to improve it overnight to hold onto the Red Bulls, McLarens and Ferraris.”

Mercedes continue to add upgrades to their car as they look to bounce back from a slow start to the year.

Hamilton credited Mercedes for making the car more “comfortable to drive” with the “incremental steps” the team is making with their development course.

“We are definitely working,” he added. “Everyone at the factory is working so hard, as they do every year.

“Having more of a North Star - we’ve got a better understanding of where we want to go with the car.

“The incremental steps we are taking… everyone is working so hard with building components and bringing them consistently, rather than just big chunks here and there. For that, I am really grateful.

“You are starting to see that, in how comfortable we as drivers are in the car.”