Hamilton encouraged by Mercedes progress

F1 Test, Barcelona, Circuit de Catalunya

Lewis Hamilton completed 121 laps today for Mercedes AMG, the equivalent of 563 kms, on the second day of the Barcelona test. The car ran reliably throughout the day, allowing to gather plenty of data about exhaust alternatives and tyre compounds.

The morning focused on comparisons between exhaust configurations, running primarily on the hard tyres. During the afternoon, Lewis concentrated on set-up work with longer runs on the medium compound. Lewis' fastest lap of 1:22.726 was set at the start of a ten-lap run on the hard tyre just before lunchtime

Lewis Hamilton: "We had a good day today and it was nice to get so many laps in. We're making continual steps forward in terms of our understanding of the set-up and the tyres. The hard compound work in particular was pretty good today, although all of tyres are showing degradation so looking after them isn't easy. The guys are working really hard both here and at the factory, and it's encouraging to see the amount of work that's being put in. We're focusing on our own programme and just getting on with it."

Nico Rosberg will be back in the F1W04 for the third day of the test tomorrow.