Lewis Hamilton’s positivity could not mask “scepticism in his voice”, he has been told.
The Mercedes driver topped both practice sessions on Friday at the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
George Russell was second, then third, on a productive day for Toto Wolff’s team.
Hamilton was pleased with his W15 but said “we’ll see whether the car is still the same tomorrow.”
Sky Sports’ Danica Patrick reacted: “You could hear the scepticism in his voice, though.
“They have never really got a grip on this car.
“I would love to see him finish strongly with Mercedes.
“He spoke about their race pace. But what he can look forward to is that Ferrari’s race pace this year has been incredible.
“As a competitor, there is no way to turn it off at any moment.
“He was so happy about just a practice day. When you’re a driver, every practice matters.
“Hopefully that stays for them all weekend. They are both seasoned drivers who don’t make mistakes, so that could play well for them this weekend.”
Hamilton has just three grands prix remaining before he swaps Mercedes for Ferrari.
The past three years have seen Hamilton unable to mount an F1 title challenge due to his below-par machinery.
Although he returned to race-winning ways at Silverstone this year, he will start afresh at Ferrari in 2025 seeking a record eighth title.
For now, he can target pole position at the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix after going fastest in practice.
Jenson Button said: “They are as surprised as everyone else, particularly at the past couple of races.
“In Austin they were super quick on Friday then nowhere on Saturday.
“It’s a different track, temperature and tarmac [in Vegas].
“I think they will be competitive. It will be a fight at the front, with at least four or five cars fighting for pole position.”
While Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz rounded out the top five in practice, the two Red Bull drivers were unusually slow.
Max Verstappen was 17th and Sergio Perez 19th on Friday.
