Mercedes‘ Trackside Engineering Director, Andrew Shovlin, has revealed the team is “ahead of where we hoped” after the midway point of the Formula 1 pre-season test in Barcelona.
The Brackley-based squad began the week on Monday, and resumed on Wednesday after opting to sit out Day Two, and the day seemed to show premature positivity.
Whilst lap times are not being officially released, the new W17 reportedly set the fastest time of the day, a 1:17.362 set by Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
What was confirmed, by Shovlin, was the car’s lap count – 183, with Antonelli clocking 91, and team-mate George Russell the remaining 92.
With cars inevitably breaking down on the Circuit de-Barcelona Catalunya frequently over the week, the haul, reportedly over 300 across both its two days’ worth of running, appears an impressive feat, and Shovlin confirmed the car has so far exceeded its expectations.
“Mileage, we’re a bit ahead of where we hoped to be. So that’s good,” he told the F1 website.
“You normally expect to have a few teething problems, the odd reliability thing that costs you track time.
“Today [Wednesday], the car worked faultlessly. We’re actually losing more track time from other people breaking down and causing red flags than for anything on our side. So that’s good.”
Shovlin added: “In terms of data gathered, we’re getting there, but as all the electrical systems are new, there’s still quite a few issues that we’re bottoming out with collecting the data and making sure everything’s as accurate as we normally have it.
“But as I said, we had a long list of objectives and if anything we’re slightly ahead of where we expected to be on Day Two.”
Russell and Antonelli ‘happy’ now, but will only continue to be if Mercedes is fast
Shovlin reported that both Russell and Antonelli are content with how things are running in the car for the moment, but given most of the test is more about data collection, analytics and mileage, the true test of their positivity will come from ultimately knowing if the car is fast.
“They’re happy with the car,” he said.
“It’s a nicer thing to drive than the previous regulations. It’s a bit lighter. It turns quite nicely for them. We’ve got a decent balance, low and high speed.
“But ultimately, whether they’re happy or not will come down to whether they’re quick or not. And I think we’ll start to see what people can do maybe on that final day.
“But you know, realistically that work is going to push into Bahrain.”
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