He said the car behaved very differently from the Mercedes, after 12 years with the German team, and that it “took a little bit of bedding in” through the first session, which he ended 0.61secs off Leclerc and 12th fastest when the Monegasque was third.
The seven-time champion said: “P2 was definitely a bit better but (I’m) just slowly building and getting a little bit faster bit by bit.
“The car doesn’t feel bad or anything. It just requires a different way of driving, so adjusting my driving style bit by bit but enjoying driving.”
And he said he was still in the learning process with his new team and car.
“I’m still getting used to the set-up changes,” Hamilton said. “I don’t have them on call like I used to have at Mercedes because I’d been there so long. I knew exactly all the changes.
“I’m still working through understanding what tools we can use. And it’s interesting because you can see with Charles he just knows because he has been here such a long time. I am slowly piecing all the bits of the puzzle together.”
On race pace, Hamilton was closer to Leclerc, about 0.1secs on average over a run, as Ferrari edged McLaren for speed.
“Long run was competitive with the others as well,” Hamilton said. “McLaren look pretty quick. Looks pretty close up top. It’s just generally been a fun day just to be here in red has been awesome.”
