Lewis Hamilton has spoken of his comfort in the new Mercedes W07 after taking it on it’s first proper run in testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The reigning World Champion raised eyebrows by completing 156 laps, the most of any driver and the only driver to reach triple figures. However, it wasn’t enough to topple Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel from the top of the timesheets, finishing four tenths behind the German.
Speaking after testing, it appeared that Hamilton was pleased with his first impression of the car: “It’s good to be back. It really had felt like a while – but now it feels like home already. I’m glad to see I can still drive! The car has been great so far. It’s very similar to last year’s – which is a good thing, as it gives us a great foundation to work from. The key is to get as much mileage as possible in the short time we now have for testing and we’ve made a fantastic start.
“The team has done an incredible job to get the car running the way it has – completing so many laps with no real problems. That’s seriously impressive on the first day, so fingers crossed it continues. The tyres feel a little different and we’ll work to understand them better in the coming days.
“Barcelona is one of the best circuits to test a new car, too. It’s got a wide range of corners and the weather’s always good, so overall it’s been the perfect way to kick off the year. Of course, it’s still early days. It’s hard to say how the others look at this point and we won’t know how competitive we are until everyone really starts pushing.
“But we’re not looking too bad, that’s for sure. Every season you have to assume is going to be the toughest competition yet, so that’s how I’m approaching it. I hope the Ferrari’s are up there with me and Nico this year, as that would be exciting for the fans and exciting for me too.”
Hamilton hands over the reins of the W07 to Rosberg for Tuesday and Thursday, driving again on Wednesday.
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