Barcelona - Saba:
Frustrated with his car's performance, British driver Lewis Hamilton expressed his determination to make his Formula One career a success with Ferrari after a difficult day of testing for the Spanish Grand Prix, where his former teammate Nico Rosberg hinted that age could affect the seven-time world champion.
Hamilton, who joined Ferrari this season from Mercedes, finished 11th in free practice, describing his car as "undriveable," a description team principal Frédéric Vasseur sought to play down by saying, "The radio commentary was a bit harsh."
As the 40-year-old struggled to control his erratic car at the Circuit de Catalunya, Rosberg, who beat him in the 2016 world championship, told Sky Formula 1 that age could be a factor in his struggles this year. "Even if he's the greatest driver of all time, his performance will slow down a bit, and that's related to age."
He added, "And when you're 40, it happens sooner or later."
On the other hand, Hamilton's teammate, Charles Leclerc, finished sixth and said he was surprised by his car's performance and capabilities.
Hamilton maintained his composure when asked about his day: "Not fun. This is a beautiful place, the weather is great too, but no, it wasn't a good day."
He added that he didn't feel able to use his experience to motivate the team: "You just have to keep your head down and focus. Don't just give up. Keep going and push on."
Rosberg expressed sympathy for Hamilton: "If I could pick the worst car, it would be the Ferrari."
"My God! Poor Lewis Hamilton, this car is exhausting," he added.
He explained: "The last part isn't stable, so even on the entry, Lewis had to change direction completely to avoid a collision. So I have complete sympathy for him at this moment."
Hamilton, a record six-time winner of the Spanish Grand Prix, made an effort on Thursday to put to rest speculation about his difficult relationship with his race engineer, Riccardo Adami. "There's a lot of speculation, and most of it is just nonsense," he said.
He continued, "We have a great relationship. It's great to work with him. We both work hard. All this is just noise, and we ignore it."
After eight rounds of the championship, Hamilton is sixth in the drivers' standings, nearly 100 points behind Australian leader Oscar Piastri (McLaren).