Mercedes was somewhat surprised by how straightforward the opening day of the three-day testing session turned out to be.
Mercedes described the first day of the pre-season testing as surprisingly straightforward after an incident-free day.
There were no red flags on the first day of the pre-season testing in Barcelona. Ferrari completed 153 laps, Red Bull 147 laps and Williams 132 laps while Mercedes finished the session with 127 laps.
Drivers, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton split the W13 between them into morning and afternoon sessions and finished fourth and fifth respectively on the timesheets.
8:58am. Just couldn’t wait to get out there, could you @GeorgeRussell63 😉
Our week starts here. 🤜🤛 pic.twitter.com/6mppcJUK1M
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 23, 2022
Asked how he was feeling ahead of stepping into the car for the afternoon session, Hamilton replied: “I feel the freshest that I ever have.”
“Of course, there are so many different ways you can re-focus and get re-centred, and I would say this [break] was one of the best I’ve ever experienced.”
Also Read: How was Williams Pre Season F1 Testing in Barcelona?
Mercedes focusing on getting more miles
Mercedes’ trackside technical engineer Andrew Shovlin welcomed the smooth start to pre-season testing in Barcelona. He said, “We got through a lot of work today and both drivers have been able to give us their initial impressions of the W13.”
“Overall, the day has been surprisingly straightforward. Although looking up and down the pit lane, you can see how high the reliability standards are and most teams seemed to be running their programmes without issue.
“There really is a lot to try and cram into the six days of winter testing when you consider how different the car and the regulations are.”
Furthermore, he said that the Brackley-based team has made good progress on understanding the aerodynamics and the tyres.
“From a pace point of view, it’s too early to say where anyone stands. We’ve also got a few wrinkles to iron out in terms of balance and performance before really trying to put times on the board.”
“However, our overall feeling from today is a good one. We’re looking forward to making more progress tomorrow.”
