The Mercedes-AMG F1 W10 EQ Power+ completes 150 laps on the first day of pre-season testing
Date: Monday, 18 February 2019
Drivers: Valtteri Bottas (AM), Lewis Hamilton (PM)
Circuit: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Circuit Length: 4.655 km
Laps Completed: Valtteri 69, Lewis 81, Total 150
Distance Covered: Valtteri 321, Lewis 377, Total 698
Best Lap Time: Valtteri 1:20.127, Lewis 1:20;135
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport completed its planned programme on the first day of 2019 pre-season testing, gathering valuable aero and tyre data. Valtteri and Lewis took turns at the wheel of the team's 2019 challenger, accruing almost 700 kilometres at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Valtteri Bottas
I quite enjoyed this morning, it’s good to be back at the track. I did 69 laps and there were no major issues with the car, so it was a relatively successful run. Since the car is brand new, we immediately found ways to improve the balance and the behaviour and we will continue to work on that in the next days. It’s good to see the car running well and it proves that the entire team is doing a great job, both in Brackley and Brixworth, but also here at the track. I’m looking forward to a more time in the car tomorrow afternoon.
Lewis Hamilton
It’s good to be back in the car and it’s great to see the car is running as smoothly at it is. It feels quite a bit different compared to last year and we’re now getting to know it, trying to understand the balance and trying to understand the characteristics we’re working with. It’s been a positive first day, we got through our running plan and there’s lots for us to learn about the new car which we will be working on.
James Allison
The first day with a new car is always a really exciting thing and today was not a bad start. Both drivers had their first taste of the W10 and got 150 trouble-free laps on the board by the end of the day. We managed to squeeze quite a lot in to this first day of running, finding out both how the 2019 tyres are working and also learning about the way the car responds to set-up changes. Today was not about absolute pace and we’re reasonably pleased with the handling of the car and the way it is behaving.