Hamilton: Ferrari are not far from the leaders

Lewis Hamilton described Friday at Sepang as a difficult day, but believes Ferrari have the pace to challenge near the front.

The seven-time world champion finished fifth in the second practice session, while his team-mate Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets.

“It wasn't easy to find the right balance, but that was a problem for everyone. We tried different set-ups and now we have to analyse the data,” Hamilton said.

The Briton added that Ferrari do not appear to be far away from the leading teams, despite still having work to do with the car's set-up.