Mercedes was hit by fuel system issues on the opening day of testing as Pascal Wehrlein received a surprise call-up to the team.
Lewis Hamilton was due to drive on Thursday but withdrew after ten laps due to a fever, with Mercedes opting to put Wehrlein in the car despite the reserve driver already driving for Force India. However, a fuel system issue limited Wehrlein to just 48 laps despite having first gone out in the W05 before the lunch break.
Wehrlein admits the call-up was a surprise, but says he enjoyed the opportunity to drive two different cars on the same day even though Mercedes hit reliability trouble.
“For sure I was quite surprised in the morning when I got the information to drive the Mercedes but I think to drive two cars in one day was amazing and I was happy,” Wehrlein said. “The day was good, we had a few problems in the afternoon with the car and I lost a bit of time, so I only had three runs in the Mercedes which wasn't that much but the time I had I enjoyed, as well as the time in the Force India.”
Nico Rosberg is set to take over the W05 on Friday, with Wehrlein saying he believes a neck problem has subsided.
Full times and day one of the second test as it happened
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