Lewis and Nico wrap up successful opening week for the F1 W07 Hybrid
MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS concluded the opening pre-season test of the 2016 season today at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with Lewis Hamilton at the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz F1 W07 Hybrid in the morning and Nico Rosberg in the cockpit during the afternoon.
Lewis emerged for his first run at 09:05, completing 99 laps before the hour-long lunch break at 13:00. Nico completed a further 86 laps in the afternoon - finishing for the day at 17:50
Today's programme focused on aero evaluation and race simulation work – including practice starts and pit stops
Mercedes-Benz Power Units today completed a total of 1,699 km
The team will now prepare the F1 W07 Hybrid for the second pre-season test of 2016 in Barcelona next week
Lewis Hamilton
After Monday I was a bit sore – but I didn’t break too much of a sweat today, so that’s good. The reliability of the car this week has been just incredible. It feels strong, it feels solid, it just keeps going and going… I’ve never seen anything like it. The guys and girls at Brackley and Brixworth have done an unbelievable job. After two titles in a row, it would be so easy to lose focus. But it’s clear that everyone is even more focused than before and have done an even better job of delivering an overall package with this car. In terms of today, the new front wing seems to be a step forward. It’s small increments here and there – but that’s what we’re looking for. There’s not much of a cliff with the tyres. They behave very similarly to last year’s in that respect. It’s been a gruelling week for the whole team – running between 150 and 190 laps every day. But I’d say it’s probably been the best test we’ve ever had. Certainly the best I’ve ever seen.
Nico Rosberg
It’s been a great start. Reliability is looking very, very good and the car feels quick. It’s great even to look at. You take a walk around it and there’s some real innovation there. You can really see how far we’ve come as a team these past few years – it’s very impressive. I can’t wait to see what it can do when we get to qualifying in Melbourne. Pounding round on mediums all day isn’t always so fun! Physically it’s actually been ok. I knew it would be an intense couple of weeks so I prepared for it. Of course, there’s a few bits that are sore – mostly from the seat as it’s solid carbon. But overall I’m really pleased with how it’s been. It’s useful to have done so much mileage, as we found a few small problems that maybe we wouldn’t have discovered with less track time. Nothing race ending – just small things – which could be very useful for Melbourne and beyond.
