F1 | Barcelona Test: Positive First Day for Mercedes

Mercedes was one of the protagonists on track yesterday, on the first day of the shakedown in Barcelona, ​​which will last until Friday the 30th. The team with the star carried out its activities on the Spanish track with both of its race drivers. Andrea Kimi Antonelli drove in the morning, completing 56 laps, while George Russell completed 95 in the afternoon. The new W17 therefore completed a total of 151 laps.

“It was great to be back on track this morning, and more importantly, we had a productive first day here in Barcelona,” said Antonelli. “There's a lot to learn with these new cars, so it's important to get as many miles as possible and gain knowledge. The team at Brackley and Brixworth have done a great job getting us to this point, developing and building a car that was able to complete over 150 laps on its first real day of testing. However, we're only just getting started. Over the next few days, we'll definitely discover areas we can improve, but that's precisely the purpose of testing. For now, though, the overall package looks good, and we'll look to improve further over the next two days of testing we have here in Barcelona.”

“It's fantastic to be back on track driving an F1 car! The cars felt really good on the circuit, and that's good for our sport,” said Russell. “They're quite different for us drivers, but once you get used to them, driving them is quite intuitive. It's fun to be behind the wheel, and I think fans have a lot to look forward to from these new rules.”

Russell then continued his remarks, adding: “We're happy with our day, but I was also impressed by several other teams. The Red Bull engine completed a lot of laps, and considering it's the first engine they've built, they've clearly done a great job. Haas also completed a similar number of laps to us, so the Ferrari engine has also racked up a lot of mileage. It's not quite like 2014! The sport has evolved a lot since then, and the standard, in every respect, is now very high.”