Hamilton hails reliability as Mercedes top lap count as well as timesheets
F1 News
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
Reigning champion Lewis Hamilton has hailed the reliability his new car, the W11, has shown in the first week of winter testing as Mercedes have racked up more laps than any other team while also leading the way on the timesheets.
Hamilton himself has led the way when it comes to mileage, rounding the Circuit de Catalunya 273 across the three testing days in the first week, 52 more than teammate Valtteri Bottas. The Finn did however have the quickest lap time by over eight-tenths, almost beating his own pole-setting time from the 2019 season.
Despite it being the last season under the current regulations before them getting a major overhaul in 2021, Mercedes have continued to push the envelope with their much-discussed DAS system as they yet again look to be the team to beat.
“It’s been a great effort from the team and great to see that the reliability is as strong as it is,” Hamilton said about his side after Friday's running.
“It’s been a solid first week and we’ve got some good mileage. It’s a true showing of all the incredible work everyone has done back at the factory and here at the track.
“I’m really proud of everyone. We’ve got to keep working hard, analyse all the data from this week and figure out how we can move the car forward and build on everything next week.”
Next week will feature three more days of running at Barcelona. Typically, teams try to chase lap times significantly more in the second week, so the grid should be shaping up in a more representable way.
GPblog.com will be on location for the second week of winter testing at the Circuit de Catalunya - make sure to check out all our coverage from Spain!