Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas said Saturday that a Formula One Grand Prix no longer needs to be held over three-day weekends.

The two Mercedes drivers, who locked out the front row for Sunday's Eifel Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, were responding to questions on Saturday over the fog and rain that cancelled Friday practice.

"I don't think we need to be in on Fridays," said Hamilton, dismissing suggestions that his lack of practice contributed to him failing to secure a record-extending 97th pole position. "So, it was fine for me."

Bottas, who secured his third pole of the season and 14th of his career by outpacing Hamilton by two-tenths of a second, said he felt that in modern Formula One too much time was spent in practice sessions.

"Currently, in a normal weekend, I feel like there is too much practice," he said. 

"Everyone finds their way on setups and optimal things in terms of driving and the car setup.

"But if there was a bit less practice maybe some teams can get it right, some drivers can get it right and some don't. So, I'd kind of like it with a bit less practice."

He added that even if Mercedes had taken part in two practice sessions on Friday, they would have made only a relatively small gain in performance.

"No doubt, the more you practice, you get all the fine details right," he said. 

"And on Friday you have the whole night afterwards before the last session to look at things and learn more from the car and the driver.

"So, I think, we'd have been a tiny bit quicker with more practice."

Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who qualified third on the grid behind the "black arrows" who locked out the front row for the 72nd time, also agreed.