Lewis Hamilton says he is relieved Mercedes was able to begin the 2018 For🔯mula 1 season where it left off last year, having set the pace during Friday practice for the Australian Grand Prix. 

The reigning world champion made the best start possible at Albert Park by topping both of Friꦐday’s practice sessions, underlining the pre-season notion that it would be Mercedes who headed into the new campaign as strong title favourites.

Hamilton led teammate Valtteri Bottas by 0.5s in opening practice, before Max Ver🌄stappen closed to within just 0.127s of the Briton’s fastest la🅘p of the day - a 1:23.931s - in FP2. 

“It has been a good day. Coming here to the first race you never ജreally know - you 🌄really have no idea what it is going to be like,” the Briton said. 

“You don’t kꦆnow how you are going to feel physically, how the tyres are going to react to the circuit. But we started on the right foot and got through everything that we neede🌌d to.

“It closed up a little bit in P2 in terms of the gap, but that is exciting anyways. It is more challenging for me to drive and🌺 eke out a little more from the car. We have to establish if I lost some performance or they all gained. But I enjoyed driving.”

Mercedes had some concerns about tyre blistering after encountering is🐟sues during pre-season testing at Barcelona, however, Hamilton said he experienced no such problems in the higher temperatures at Melbourne. 

“The tyres definitely didn’t seem to have the issue that we had after Barcelona, wheꦇre they were just blistering the whole time. So it felt a lot more normal. But obviously the car is quicker here than it was last year, so it feels better everywhere. 

“Turns 11 and 12 are just crazy! We are not even braking into that 🌠corner, it is insane! But we are going to get quicker and quicker through the weekend. Well if it does not rain.”

While Hamilton believes predicted 🍬cooler temperatures for Saturday would benefit Mercedes, he expressed some concerns over how well Pirelli’s full wet tyre compound will work.