Mercedes completed a full scale shakedown of its 2012 car, which is set to be launched on Tuesday, in which the W03 completed a distance totalling 300km.
This is the cars second test, with the Brackley based outfit having completed a ‘filming day’ last week at Silverstone, in which they ran Pirelli’s demo tyres and were restricted on speed and mileage by the current testing regulations.
However, Sunday’s test in Barcelona wasn’t restricted and allowed the team to complete its first day of testing the new car under 2012 race conditions on competitive rubber.
Mercedes decided to delay the launch of the W03 in order to concentrate on its development. Their decision to run last years car in Jerez gave them an added two weeks back in the factory and, by only running the W02 on three of the four test days in Jerez, they were able to conduct today’s unrestricted private test.
The downside is of course that they have only one days running under their belt, whilst the majority of their competitors have four.
The second pre-season test gets underway on Tuesday, following the Mercedes launch.
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