Hamilton praises complexity of new Mercedes F1 car
Lewis Hamilton declared his new Mercedes “pretty awesome” yesterday after lapping a blustery Silverstone circuit in the car he hopes will secure him a fourth Formula One world championship.
“It felt incredible,” added the Briton, who finished runner- up last season behind now- retired teammate Nico Rosberg despite winning more of the 21 races.
“Yesterday was the first time seeing the car come together. It’s the most detailed piece of machinery I’ve seen so far in Formula One.
“The car feels wider, which it is obviously. The front tyres obviously feel huge,” added the 32- year- old, who won 10 races in 2016 and starts the season with a new teammate in Finland’s Valtteri Bottas.
The season starts in Australia on March 26.
Formula One has undergone big rule changes since last season, with wider front and rear tyres and different aerodynamics designed to make cars faster, more aggressive and harder to handle.
Lap times should be several seconds quicker than 2016, with cornering speeds putting more G- forces on the drivers, who have had to bulk up and add muscle.
Bottas, who has joined from Williams following Rosberg’s decision to retire only days after taking the title, has yet to win a grand prix.
He has already said that he is not intending to play second fiddle to his teammate, however, and the pairing start on equal terms.
“I think I have done the most amount of training of any winter so far. I have done some good training camps and feel in the best shape I’ve ever been, definitely ready for the season ahead,” said the Finn.
The new car was first presented to fans online, with the drivers pulling the covers off the W08 behind closed garage doors before it was wheeled out to the media shivering on the Silverstone straight.
The team were then set to complete a limited 100km filming day in the afternoon with both drivers taking a turn.
“The dominant feeling in the team right now is one of excitement — the factory is buzzing with anticipation,” said team boss Toto Wolff, whose team have won the last three drivers and constructors’ titles. “It has been a really motivating challenge to develop a brand new car concept and I have never seen our determination to succeed higher than it is right now.”
Testing will start in Barcelona on Monday, with Bottas doing the first stint before handing over to Hamilton for the afternoon.
Wolff shrugged off fears of a potential protest against his cars at the Australian Grand Prix.
The pre- season has seen plenty of speculation about clever hydraulic suspension systems since Ferrari sought a clarification about the regulations from the governing International Automobile Federation ( FIA).
Some paddock insiders, such as Force India technical director Andy Green, have this week suggested the question could lead to a protest against certain teams to force a decision.
Such action could not be taken until the Melbourne race weekend since there are no restrictions on what teams can use on their cars in pre- season testing.
Wolff said he was completely relaxed about the situation.
“There have been discussions in the TRM [ technical regulations meeting] around suspensions and legality,” said the Austrian.
“As far as Mercedes is concerned, I am very confident and comfortable with the situation. We know what the rules say and what you are allowed and not allowed to do.
“I think it is the usual kicking at the beginning of the season, and it is not something that is worrying for us,” said Wolff.
Mercedes may have more of a fight on their hands this season due to the rule changes which have produced faster cars on bigger tyres.
They have a new technical director in James Allison, who starts work at the factory next week after completing a period of gardening leave from Ferrari, with Paddy Lowe having departed.
“Sometimes you need to recalibrate in order to stay successful, and we’ve done that,” said Wolff.
“Disruption can be a very positive factor in a company’s development. So when Nico decided to call it a day, we quickly realised it provided opportunity. In terms of Paddy, it’s a little bit the same.
“You can either have a philosophy of never change a winning team or try to emphasise what’s important for the future.”