Mercedes confirms driver schedule for second test

Mercedes has confirmed its driver schedule for the second pre-season test at the Circuit de Catalunya next week.

Lewis Hamilton will open the test on Thursday, with the two drivers alternating over the four days. That means Nico Rosberg will be behind the wheel of the W06 on day two, before Hamilton drives again on the third day and Rosberg closes out the test.

Mercedes will be looking to build on impressive mileage following the first test at Jerez which saw the team complete 516 laps across the first four days of running in 2015. Rosberg was the busiest of the two drivers, clocking up 308 laps on his two days alone, more than half of the teams present managed at the first test in total.

While the mileage was impressive, Mercedes didn't show its hand in terms of pace as Ferrari-powered cars dominated the timing screens throughout the first test. Rosberg set the fastest Mercedes time at Jerez - fourth quickest overall - and admitted he was impressed by how strong Ferrari looked.

The second pre-season test runs from February 19-22, with the final test taking place from February 26-March 1.

Feature: Take a closer look at the Mercedes W06

Click here for the full gallery of the Mercedes W06 at Jerez

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

Las Vegas GP: Thursday's action in pictures

The opening day of running at the Las Vegas GP was a smooth but chilly…

2 hours ago

Williams' headaches persist into Vegas practice

Williams is continuing to fight uphill battles this weekend in Las Vegas as a knock-on…

3 hours ago

Ferrari's Sainz 'not satisfied with where we are' in Vegas

It was a solid start to the Las Vegas weekend for Ferrari with Carlos Sainz…

4 hours ago

Norris labels McLaren long-run pace ‘shocking’ in chilly Vegas

Lando Norris didn’t hold back in his assessment of McLaren’s performance on the opening day…

5 hours ago

Hamilton delighted with ‘consistently strong day’ in Vegas

Lewis Hamilton was particularly happy with his opening day of running at the Las Vegas…

6 hours ago

Verstappen stuck with 'draggy' rear wing for Vegas

Red Bull fears that its prospects for this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix - which…

7 hours ago