Mercedes: "If we give that car to Hamilton, he can do the job"

The seven-time world champion ended both sessions as fastest and the British team is very pleased with the performance of the car, especially the laps with more fuel in the car. Mercedes did struggle with grip on the softs, but Shovlin says they hope to solve that problem tonight. A good car is very important for title contention and the world championship at the moment.

"Lewis has to win both races and it's good to have that clarity in the objectives. We engineer a car that can get on pole - that is the fastest thing in a race that is what we need to do overnight. If we give that car to Lewis, he can do the job."

No measurable step through rocket engine

The question is whether Hamilton will put the rocket engine in his car tomorrow. According to Shovlin, this is nonsense and therefore no measurable step will be seen. They, like all other drivers and teams, will have to watch their tyres in the race. "I think in the race it will be quite hard to overtake. So, there will be periods where they can manage and look after the car and tyres."