Hamilton: Impossible to predict grid

He was sixth and second fastest in today's two practice sessions, but says it is impossible to have any expectations of a grid position because the teams still don't know how they compare to their rivals.

"I honestly have absolutely no clue," Hamilton said when asked if he thought he could take pole position on Saturday.

"My car feels ok, but I don't know what everyone else is doing. Some people might be heavier, some might be lighter. We might be seriously slow or we might be seriously quick, we just won't know until we go into qualifying tomorrow."

Hamilton admitted that McLaren has concerns over the rate of tyre degradation after practice.

"On the track for us it's very hot, so the degradation of both compounds of the tyres is very high. On the lighter to heavier fuel loads the car feels pretty similar, but it's difficult to know where everyone is at the minute.

But he does not expect to have to make more than one pitstop in Sunday's race.

"No, I think it's something you can handle," he added. "You have to change your driving style and approach to each lap. It's difficult to know what laptime to target when you do a long run on a heavier fuel load.

"You don't know how hard you can go and be able to push more later on. If you push less at the beginning, does that mean you can push more at the end? It's difficult to know and we're still trying to understand it."