Friday: Button struggles with the soft ones

Lewis Hamilton – 3rd and 1st

The single-seater seemed really good today – both with a lot and a little fuel. And the wear of the new Hard tires seems acceptable; I was able to do relatively good times at the end of my stint. I think there is still potential, but we seem strong this weekend.

I was also quite comfortable with the setup changes made this afternoon, and our long runs seem to be competitive. You never know what the Red Bulls are doing, but I’m happy that we are close to them.

Regarding the rest, for Brazil this weekend I wanted to create and wear a special helmet using the design of Ayrton Senna’s – I asked Ayrton’s sister, Viviane, if I could use it, and she said yes. It’s my usual design in the front and Ayrton’s at the back. I used the green lining that Ayrton also used for his helmet – I had to order it specially. It’s a very special edition, it’s an honor to be able to use it, and hopefully I will succeed in raising funds for the Senna Foundation as well.

Jenson Button – 2nd and 7th

The two types of tires we are using this weekend are closer than we thought. The Hard tires work well, and I think we understand where we stand with them, but I’m having a bit more trouble with the Soft tires. I can’t find a good balance with low fuel and for long stints – it wasn’t really working with my settings.

Fortunately, we know why – we simply didn’t have time to try those solutions today. But we have managed to make the Soft tire work all year, so I am confident we will succeed tomorrow.

The weather forecast calls for rain on Sunday. That being said, you never really know what the weather will be like here, so it would be a bit risky to set up for full rain conditions. I don’t think many drivers at the front will set up their cars for rain.

The DRS zone is on a very short straight, so I think we will have trouble overtaking, but we still have the main straight, which is probably the best place to pass.