2017 Pre-Season Test 1, Day 2

The W08 stretches its legs, completing its first on-track race simulation of 2017

Date:                           Tuesday 28 February 2017

Driver(s):                    Lewis Hamilton (AM), Valtteri Bottas (PM)

Circuit:                                    Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

Circuit Length:                       4.655 km

Laps Completed:        Lewis 66, Valtteri 102, Total 168

Distance Covered:      Lewis 307km, Valtteri 475km, Total 782km

Best Lap Time:                       Lewis 1:20.983, Valtteri 1:22.986

Weather Conditions:   Partly cloudy, dry, mild

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport completed 168 laps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Tuesday, as 2017 pre-season testing continued in Spain with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas taking turns at the wheel of the F1 W08 EQ Power+

• Lewis emerged for his first run as the track opened at 09:00, completing 66 laps before the hour-long lunch break at 13:00
• Valtteri took over in the cockpit for the afternoon session, completing 102 laps before the pit lane closed at 18:00
• Lewis kicked off today’s programme with aero data collection and vibration logging, moving on to analysis of the softer tyre compounds and setup work
• In the afternoon session, Valtteri completed a race simulation before rounding off the day with further aero tests
• Mercedes-Benz Power Units today completed a total of 1,238km
• Valtteri will take the wheel of the W08 tomorrow morning, with Lewis behind the wheel in the afternoon on the third day of pre-season testing in Barcelona

Lewis Hamilton:

Today’s been a really positive day. It was an easier morning and we started off on the right foot. Yesterday, there was an element of brushing off the cobwebs, it being the first day in the car, so it took a little longer than normal to really acclimatise in the car and to find exactly where to exploit the its ability.

I didn’t do a huge amount of laps today but I got a really good feel for the car. I think we’ve made some steps forward in development. My quick lap felt fast and tidy. We’ve not really exploited the potential of the car, so it’s all good foundation building at this stage.

These new tyres seem to be lasting a lot better than they did previously, so I think you can push them more and fight harder, lap after lap, so that’s a good step in the right direction.

I’m finding the car is much more physical to drive than in the past. It’s so much faster in the corners. The force you feel on your body and on your neck is much higher. I’ve got bruises and bumps where I’ve never really had them before. Physically I feel fine though, as it’s only half a day of testing. I’ve trained enough over the winter to be ready for more.

Valtteri Bottas:

I think it was another good test day for the team. We did so many laps again and completed all the runs that we had planned to do.

I worked on race simulations this afternoon. It was quite tricky with the windy conditions but I’m sure that we can learn a lot from the data.

I had a small off but it wasn’t anything serious. I lost the rear end with a gust of tail wind that was quite sudden. This is testing – you need to find the limits.

It’s interesting to learn more about the new car – not just for me personally, but for us as a team. All the set-up work we’ve done has been very valuable. Two more days to go – I’m looking forward to it.

Source :Mercedes

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