Mercedes have further proved the amazing reliability of the W07 by finishing the first test in Barcelona on a grand total of 675 laps throughout four days.
For a second day, the team split duties between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, with Hamilton doing 99 laps in the morning and Rosberg having 86 in the afternoon. Hamilton set a fastest lap time of 1:26.295 to finish eighth fastest, just behind Rosberg who finished seventh with a time of 1:26.187.
The team also introduced a new front wing, with an S-duct appearing on the Mercedes for the first time since it first appeared at last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix.
With this and the car as a whole, Hamilton was further amazed by the strength of the team: “After Monday I was a bit sore – but I didn’t break much of a sweat today, so that’s good. The reliability of the car this week has just been incredible. It feels strong, it feels solid, it just keeps going and going… I’ve never seen anything quite 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.
“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.”
Rosberg echoed the thoughts of his team-mate: “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 okay. 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.”
It would be unsurprising to see anything different than further innovation and laps happening in next week’s second test as the team look to fend off any possible competition.
