• Malaysian Grand Prix - FP2

Hamilton pleased with balance of MP4-27

Lewis Hamilton has previously stated that he was unhappy with his race setup in Australia © Getty Images

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• Report:
• Hamilton stays on top at Sepang
  

• Race:
• Malaysian Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Lewis Hamilton

• Teams:
• McLaren

Lewis Hamilton says that he is pleased with the balance of his car after topping the timesheets during Friday practice in Malaysia.

After being disappointed with third place in Australia last weekend Hamilton bounced back in the best way possible by setting the fastest times in both of the Friday practice sessions at Sepang. Hamilton said that the car had a better balance than a week ago at Melbourne and that he hopes to be able to look after his tyres better on high fuel during the race.

"It's been a good day for me," Hamilton said. "We've made a few changes to the balance of the car since the last race and I'm much happier - but we'll still be making changes to improve our long-run pace, which can always be better.

"I'm working as hard as I can to have as good a qualifying set-up as my race set-up and I think we've got a bit more of an understanding of how the car works on heavy fuel. I went wide a couple of times on my long run in P2, and looking after the tyres will be a tough call in the race - so it's all about finding the right balance."

Hamilton added that starting from pole would not be crucial at Sepang but that it would still be the target on Saturday.

"Around here, overtaking will be a little more possible than in Melbourne. Nevertheless, starting from the front will still be the best position for the race, and that's what I'll be going for tomorrow. We've got to keep pushing, stay hydrated and remain focused - there's a lot of hard work ahead."

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