Mercedes exploring the car to a “near-impossible” during testing

Mercedes technical director has said that they are making the most of testing by exploring their W11 to a level that will be “near-impossible once the first race of the Formula calendar in Melbourne begins.

The Silver Arrows have enjoyed a successful duration of testing so far with Valtteri Bottas setting the fastest time of 1:15.732 during the first week, with Lewis Hamilton second.
 
Similar to other team running race simulations, Mercedes fitted Hamilton with prototype tyres first thing, as well as exploring the different set-up variations to understand the car as much as possible before racing begins.
 
“It was a productive day both in the morning and the afternoon, taking the opportunity that winter testing grants us to explore the car thoroughly, in ways that are near-impossible once the racing season starts,” said Allison.
 
“We tested the new prototype tyre with Lewis in the morning, which was trouble-free, and ran through set-up changes with both drivers.”
 
Allison states that Thursday’s programme for Mercedes will be similar to continue to explore the W11 before switching to a performance focus Friday.
 
“It was an interesting day, because it got quite gusty at various points,” he added. “That was useful for us, learning how to get the best from the car as the wind picks up.
 
“Tomorrow, we will continue to explore the basic behaviour of the car, before focusing more on performance on the final day of testing.”