It’s been another busy day for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, with the F1 W09 EQ Power+ completing 175 laps at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
- Both Lewis and Valtteri’s fastest times were in the 1:18s, set on the Ultrasoft compound tyres.
- Lewis took the car out in the morning, with Valtteri behind the wheel in the afternoon
- Both drivers completed a similar programme today with shorter runs in the beginning and longer runs afterwards
- Today’s programme focussed on aero tests, pit stop practice and qualifying and race simulations
- Mercedes-Benz Power Units today completed a total of 2,085 km
Valtteri Bottas: “The car felt OK. We did some shorter runs in the beginning, and then longer runs afterwards. We definitely made some improvements once again. We’ve made good progress since last year, but some other cars look quick as well. We had decent temperatures so we could do some proper testing and learned a lot from today. We have some work to do to get more out of the soft compounds. I always enjoy trying to extract everything out of the car. But we still haven’t unlocked the full potential of the package we have, so there’s more to come.”
Lewis Hamilton: “Today has been positive. The car is feeling good and the tyres are working. It’s nice to have some good weather so we can really try and get in the mileage. The reliability has been good so far, which is a sign of all the great, hard work that the team has put in over the winter. It’s still a work in progress, but it’s definitely going in the right direction. The team’s working hard – both here and back at the factory – to continue to climb the upwards gradient which we’re currently on. I’m just so proud that I’m driving a creation that these guys have all worked to the bone to create. I’m proud to be the one who gets to go out there and try to exploit this car and bring them the results they deserve.”