George Russell might have topped the times at the end of Friday practice, but he thinks everything could change when it comes to qualifying and Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix.
Russell was fifth fastest in FP1 which started in wet and windy conditions. By the time FP2 got underway the rain had gone and the track had tried up, although gusty winds were still a factor.
Russell ended the session with a best time of 1:10.702s, putting him 0.0671s ahead of McLaren rival Oscar Piastri, while his own team mate Lewis Hamilton was a tenth back in third followed by Lando Norris.
It seemed to prove that new upgrades have ensured Mercedes and McLaren are still very evenly matched coming out of the summer break, with little to separate them while Red Bull and Ferrari appeared to have slipped further back.
But Russell doesn't think there are any safe lessons to be learned from today's "really difficult" conditions, and that the threat of more rain tomorrow could throw everything into the air when it comes to qualifying.
“It was so, so windy, probably the windiest I’ve remembered in the last couple of years,” he said. “In the first six races, the car was off the pace but the weather was consistent and they were pretty straightforward race weekends.
"Suddenly as soon as the car’s been quick in Canada and Silverstone, all sorts have been thrown at us! But it’s the same for everyone," he said. "It was good to get back in the car and into the swing of things.
“The car was performing really well. We got the upgrades on, which seem to be working as expected," he added. "The updated floor we brought to Spa seemed to be working effectively.
“It looks like quite a close battle with the McLarens and Max, but it could all be different again tomorrow," he said. "The pack at the front seems to be quite close once again. We expect to be facing another fascinating battle across the rest of the weekend for the podium spots."
Haunted by memories of a poor qualifying here last year which saw him start from P13, Hamilton was also feeling a lot more upbeat this time in his last outing at Zandvoort with Mercedes before his move to Ferrari in 2025.
“It wasn’t a bad start to the weekend,” he reported. “It’s a big, big difference compared to last year. The car’s definitely feeling more alive, and we’re right up there at the front.
“We understand the car so much better now," he said. "To start off on the right foot from the get-go and just make small tweaks from there is definitely very helpful, it makes our job more enjoyable.
"There’s still performance left," he said. "I didn't get the most out of my lap on the Soft compound tyre so that's encouraging for qualifying.
"I’ve just got to work a little bit on the set-up. I don’t know if I looked particularly that quick, - I think the set-up that I had for qualifying or for a single lap was hindering the long run.
"We will go through the data on the long runs this evening and see if we can make further improvements overnight."
Hamilton added that he wasn't sure if he was in the running for victory again this week after winning last time out in Spa following Russell's post-race disqualification, "but we’re definitely at least in the top five."
From the team perspective, trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said that the W15 had been working well so far despite the tricky conditions they faced.
"Very strong winds and heavy rain made it difficult to get a good read on the updated floor we brought to Spa," he acknowledged. Nevertheless what we saw looks in line with expectations, so we'll continue the weekend with it fitted to both cars.
"The car has been working well. The single lap performance looks solid, although it's likely to be tight with Verstappen and the McLarens in qualifying as they all looked strong today.
"We have a few areas we can improve in that regard but no doubt the others are in a similar position," he warned. "Norris looked very good this afternoon and we will need to take a step to get on his pace.
"If we get the car in the right window, we can be competitive," he summarised. "On the basis of today, it looks like we will should be in the fight near the front tomorrow."
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