Hamilton: Singapore changes have 'perfected the circuit'

Lewis Hamilton says the changes made to the Marina Bay Circuit have "perfected" the track.

For 2023, the track has been changed with the Turns 16-19 section eliminated with curved straight replacing the section under the grandstand due to local construction works, with the alterations significantly lowering lap time

Hamilton, who has a record joint-four wins in Singapore, has hailed the changes made on a positive day for Mercedes as he finished fifth fastest in the second practice session.

"It’s been a great day here in Singapore," the Mercedes driver explained.

"They have done an amazing job with the track changes; I love driving this circuit now more than ever.

"The new track surface is great, and it made the track even more enjoyable to drive.

"Then the removal of the four corners near the end of the lap has absolutely perfected the circuit. It’s incredible to drive."

Hamilton enjoys ‘best Friday’ of current season

Hamilton also stated that Friday practice in Singapore was the best he’s felt during an opening day of running this year.

He was half-a-second down on FP2 session topper Carlos Sainz and also beaten by team-mate George Russell, but maintained that he felt extremely comfortable behind the wheel.

"In terms of our day overall, FP1 was solid," he said.

"We were still a little bit of where we wanted to be, but it wasn’t too bad.

"FP2 was for sure the best FP2 session I’ve had this year. It was nice to finish a Friday feeling so positive.

"I think we’ve got a good platform to build off for the rest of the weekend.

"It’s the best I’ve felt from a Friday this year, so I hope we can do some good work overnight, as we always tend to do, and continue to improve."