Lots of confidence at Mercedes: 'First feeling was good after day one'

For Mercedes, the first day of testing in Barcelona was particularly productive. The team was not in the spotlight quite as much as rivals Red Bull Racing's RB18, but Andrew Shovlin does speak of a positive day in Mercedes' press release.

Mercedes has been known in recent years to eat up miles during winter tests. With the reliable Mercedes powerplant and a strong chassis, the team often drives the most laps in the test. On Wednesday this was not yet the case, as Ferrari (153) and Red Bull Racing (147) came up with more laps. Together with Alpine, Mercedes completed a total of 127, split between George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

Confidence with Mercedes

''We got through a lot of work today and both drivers have been able to give us their initial impressions of the W13. Overall the day has been surprisingly straightforward although looking up and down the pitlane, you can see how high the reliability standards are and most teams seemed to be running their programs without issue,'' said Mercedes' Trackside Engineering Director.

''From a pace point of view it's too early to say where anyone stands, we've also got a few wrinkles to iron out in terms of balance and performance before really trying to put times on the board. However, our overall feeling from today is a good one and we're looking forward to making more progress tomorrow,'' Shovlin concluded.