Hamilton upbeat as he pips Rosberg in Abu Dhabi practice

Lewis Hamilton was in a confident mood today after beating Nico Rosberg in both Friday practice sessions in Abu Dhabi. Lewis, who was just 0.083s faster than his team mate in FP2, was pleased with the car.

“It's been a good Friday,” said Hamilton. “What can I say? It's as it looks on the board. The long runs, I got the whole session, which was great, a good step forward with the set-up. But as always, there's still time to find. It's exactly the same programme as every race weekend, chipping away at it and trying to improve in all the areas possible. The car feels great, the team have done an amazing job. It's the best car I've ever driven here, so it's pretty spectacular to drive.”

Asked about the importance of pole, he said: “I've just got to drive the way I usually drive and what will be will be. I'm going to do the best I can. So far I'm on the right steps, so keep working away at it.”

Rosberg not too concerned

Meanwhile Rosberg said that he could find the missing eight-hundredths: “I've been checking, and yes I think they are in my pocket. More than that actually. It's been a good day. I haven't really got my lap together today, so still some work to do also on the car tomorrow. But it's feeling good out there.”

Regarding pole he added: “For sure it is quite important, that would be a step in the right direction.”