The new Mercedes W08 race car burned rubber as they recorded the fastest time and most laps on the first day of Formula 1 testing season. Held at Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Lewis Hamilton piloted what he dubbed as "a beast" and is yet again ready to conquer the race alongside his new partner Valtteri Bottas.
Mercedes tested the company's new radical "T-wing" on the Mercedes W08 race car and it has been the most attention-grabbing innovation by far. It was even under McLaren's radar too, according to Peter Prodromou.
Lewis Hamilton's recorded time piloting the Mercedes W08 race car 1:21:76 seconds, beating Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari during the 2016 testing season by 0.113 seconds. But the Ferrari last year used medium tires, compared with Mercedes' soft tires this year.
"It is a beast," Lewis Hamilton said, according to a report by ESPN UK, referring to the new Mercedes W08 race car. "It is so much better than last year. It is much more beefed up version of the car we have had in previous seasons."
This was not the only feat Hamilton's team was able to pull off. With a recorded combined 152 laps during day 1 of the F1 testing season, they logged the most mileage. Hamilton's teammate and new partner Valtteri Bottas covered 79 laps, adding to Hamilton's 73.
Valtteri Bottas, who was 2nd fastest in the morning, replaced Nico Rosberg and noted that speed was ireelevant on the first day. Despite being sixth in the overall ranking for the day, his completed lap is a stark comparison compared with the others who struggled to complete the race distance of 66.
A new set of rules governed this year's Formula 1 race, in which cars are expected to lap 4 to 5 seconds faster compared with last year. This comes at the heels of the introduction of the revised aerodynamic regulations and wider Pirelli tires, according to CNN.
The newly supplied tires come with more mechanical grip. They are also less susceptible to thermal degradation. In other words, these tires will not drop off in performance as quickly as before.
"The G forces are definitely higher. The load on the drivers is a considerable amount more than before. It is a lot more physical," said Hamilton if there were any differences between the new set of tires supplied by Pirelli.
Mercedes has always dominated and set the bar in Formula 1 racing, having won 51 out of 59 races. And they seem set to take this year's title, again. We will have to wait until race day as Lewis Hamilton will be behind the wheels of the all-new Mercedes W08 race car and Valtteri Bottas as part of the team.
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