Prior to the winter test in Bahrain the drivers got ready for the traditional group photo. In contrast to other years, the cars were also lined up for this. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas tried to make the most of this moment by having a good look at the back of the RB16B. For Hamilton, it was often more than that.
Hamilton as perfectionist as Schumacher
Michael Schumacher in his heydays was already known to study the cars of competitors thoroughly at Parc Fermé. Lewis Hamilton is just as much of a perfectionist and doesn't just limit his 'spying' to Parc Fermé, according to an anecdote from Philipp Brändle, a former Mercedes team member.
"Hamilton is a great spy," Brändle is quoted from his analysis for ServusTV by Motorsport-Total.com quoted. "He takes a very close look at everything. For example, there was a scene in front of the podium in the room where they had a drink. He noticed that with another racing suit that has fewer cables. When it came to saving weight. Because every detail really counts in Formula 1."
So it's not just out of personal interest or to make the opposition a little nervous that we see drivers from competing teams looking at each other's cars. There are very few times when team members can take a closer look at another team's car. The drivers are an exception to this at Parc Fermé and so sometimes more is done with their information than people often think.