Lewis Hamilton strapped into the Mercedes W15 for the first time on Thursday in Bahrain and experienced firsthand the solid improvements hailed the day before by his teammate George Russell.
The day brought more positive vibes to the Mercedes, with Hamilton raking in 123 trouble-free laps – the second largest tally on the day and setting the third fastest time overall behind Ferrari pace setter Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.
Hamilton’s work in the morning was dominated by aero runs and data collection, although the session was cut short by almost two hours due to a dislodged drain cover located at Turn 11.
To compensate for the lost time, the afternoon workout at Sakhir was extended by an additional hour.
Long stints were the norm after lunch until Mercedes switched to single-lap runs towards the end of the day. The comprehensive evaluation proved fruitful.
"It was a productive day out there," Hamilton said. "We gathered lots of learnings about the W15, both in our long running and single lap work.
"We've clearly made an improvement with this year's car and it's much nicer to drive.
"A big thank you to everyone at Brackley and Brixworth for the efforts they've put in to deliver that over the past year. I'm really grateful for all their hard work.”
©Mercedes
Although it’s early days for Mercedes, Hamilton echoed Russell’s positive comments from Wednesday when the young Briton underscored the W15’s enhanced drivability.
“We've still got progress to make of course. But this is a good foundation for us to build on,” he said.
"We'll keep our heads down and continue to work to find improvements, both over the rest of the test and into next week.
"I'm looking forward to being back in the car tomorrow morning and continuing that learning."
The positive feedback signifies a potentially crucial step forward for Mercedes, who are eager to reclaim championship glory.
This season holds an emotional weight for Hamilton as he prepares for his Ferrari move. A positive assessment of the W15 bodes well on his desire to leave Mercedes on a high note.
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