Mercedes has started the 2017 season completing more mileage than another team, clocking up 152 laps between Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton.
Bottas was one of the first drivers to head out onto the track as the morning session got underway and was immediately into his first run.
The team have taken the approach to splitting the driving duties with both drivers on each day to gain more feedback and maintain any possible fatigue.
With vibration and aerodynamic analysis the main program of the day for both drivers, including further understanding of the new 2017 tyres.
Bottas said: “We worked on long runs, trying to gain all the information we could from these conditions.
“We didn’t really care at all about lap times today. As a team we still have many more important days ahead of us. The main thing to do is to get the mileage in and the car had no issues.”
“I did a few laps at Silverstone, but now this is proper testing.
“It was very special to do the first few laps. This is a new era for Formula 1. The car feels very different to last year.
“You can definitely feel the impact of the new regulations – the increased loads, the bigger, heavier cars, and more grip. I think they look great.”
During the afternoon session, Hamilton tested out Mercedes’ version of the synonymous ‘shark fin’ on the rear of the car.
With a further 72 laps completed in the afternoon for the triple-world champion, it appears Mercedes are keen to put their reliability issues of 2016 to rest and test the W08 as hard as possible.
It’s been a good day, a really positive day for the team,” Hamilton added.
“The car looks fantastic and it feels great. We did lots of laps and collected loads of information today, so we can try to improve the car as we move forward.
“We’ve not done any work to get the balance perfect yet, as today was all about ticking off the list of checkpoints and racking up mileage.
“I definitely put my body to the test today.
“These test days are like training. It was good to feel the wider, beefier car. It’s faster, more physical… it’s a beast!
“You’ve got to drive it a bit differently. It’s so much better than last year’s cars. The G-Forces are definitely higher.
“We’re pulling two more G than we’d usually pull around here. There’s so much more downforce, which is something you always want as a driver. You always want to go faster through the corners.”
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