Lewis Hamilton, the reigning Formula 1 World Champion, believes Mercedes can keep walking on the right path in terms of their new car and said that the team’s transition from last year’s car to the W09 has been “smooth”.
Hamilton applauds Mercedes’ “Smooth Transition” From Last Year
Hamilton, who will try to become in 2018 the third driver in the history of the sport to reach at least five championships, said in an F1 press release that “the team is moving in a positive direction. Ultimately, I am really proud of everyone. Everyone is working so well in the garage. The teamwork and the synergy are great at the moment and our understanding and movement with the car, whether we change bits of the car we get a great correlation. It’s a smooth transition this year so far.”
With Mercedes practicing their race simulations on day 3 of the second pre-season test, Hamilton ran with a heavy car loaded with fuel and finished eighth on the timesheets, while completing 84 laps in his afternoon stint.
Looking forward to the 2018 F1 season
Hamilton is preparing for his season number twelve at the pinnacle of motorsport and he hopes to make it a big one yet again. The Briton can be the second driver to reach the 70-wins mark in the upcoming season, if the silver machine delivers good pace and his driving remains dominant.
Hamilton is focusing on maintaining his cool approach to races and feels his mindset is right for the start of the season. “I personally feel stronger, that’s a positive.”
The English driver recognizes that Mercedes has been able to correct some issues from the past with the new vehicle. “I don’t know where we are in terms of the pack but our week has been very good, very productive, we got through everything we needed. Reliability has been fantastic and the car feels great.”
Despite Red Bull Racing and Ferrari dominating the last two days of testing, the four-time world champion explained that he doesn’t pay much attention to lap times for one main reason. Hamilton stated that “the track is a lot different compared to what it used to be” as it it was resurfaced.
Due to this factor, the Englishman believes the times “are kind of misleading at the moment.”
The first race in Melbourne, Australia (March 23-25, 2018) will reveal the true pace of the new cars and the pecking order.
Day 3 Test Report: https://lastwordonmotorsport.com/2018/03/08/formula-1-testing-sebastian-vettel-quickest-on-day-3-of-second-test/
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