George’s First Thoughts After Testing Day One
Hear from our driver of car 63 after the first day of testing in Bahrain.
The first official on-track action of 2024 got under way in Bahrain this morning. First on circuit? George Russell in the W15.
The team was eager to get going and further our understanding of the 2024 challenger with the focus of day one always on gathering information about the new car, rather than performance.
And it was successful day full of data collection, knowledge building and learning. We completed 122 laps which included a full race simulation in the afternoon.
So what were George’s first thoughts once he’d jumped out the car at the end of the day?
“It was great to drive the W15 for the first time in anger today. From hitting the ground, it felt like we had a good foundation to start from.
“We completed lots of laps and have plenty of data to go through tonight. We ended the day in a reasonably good spot, and we can build from here over the next two days.
“We will be focused on maximising mileage for learning rather than chasing an optimum sweet spot with the car.
“Overall, the W15 does feel nicer to drive than last year’s car.
“We know that it’s not about the feeling, but the speed. Nevertheless, today was about learning and not about chasing performance.
“We’re focused on ourselves at this test, and it will only be next week where we see where we stack up against the others.
“It was a positive first day and I’m looking forward to being back in the car on Friday.”
Source and more info : Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team