Lewis Hamilton: “A little different from last year”

During the presentation of the Mercedes W10, the technical managers of the world champions had highlighted their desire to make the car 2019 from the brand with the most constant star possible, with emphasis placed on rear tire management.

Stated objective: to erase a lack of performance on certain specific tracks in the championship. The work thus accomplished during the winter gave birth to a W10 that Lewis Hamilton was able to apprehend this Monday afternoon. The first impression of the world champion already shows change.

« It's a little different from last year and we begin to understand it, whether on the overall balance or on the characteristics with which we work, relates the Briton.

The first day was positive, we completed our program. We have a lot to learn about the new car. »

Without having worn the highest performance tires made available by Pirelli (only the C2 white stripe tires), and therefore without seeking pure performance, Mercedes completed nearly 150 laps on the track with its two drivers.

“We managed to take care of a lot of things during this first day of driving, discovering both how the 2019 tires work and how the car reacts to changes in settings, recognizes James Allison, technical director of Mercedes-AMG F1.

Today was not about outright pace and we are reasonably happy with the handling of the car and how it feels. »