Formula 1

Mercedes F1 2023 Completes Full Filming Day

Published

1 month ago

16/02/2023

On Thursday, the 2023 Mercedes Formula 1 team’s car underwent a full “filming day” shakedown at Silverstone’s National circuit. Prior to this, the car had only gone through a brief “demonstration run” after its launch on Wednesday.

Teams are permitted to conduct two demonstration events per year, each covering a distance of no more than 15km (9.3 miles), as well as two promotional days (also referred to as filming days) during which they can run their current cars for a maximum of 100km (62.1 miles) each. These regulations apply outside of official testing periods.

On Wednesday, the team did not carry out a complete promotional event as it was reported to have encountered some minor engine problems. However, according to George Russell’s comments that afternoon, there were no significant issues.

The team was back on the track on Thursday, with both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton sharing the driving duties for a full 100km of running, albeit in wet conditions.

Both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton noted that it had been a day without any issues, with Russell stating that “the car ran smoothly” and Hamilton adding that “the day was trouble-free, we managed to complete a good program and we gained valuable insights.”

Neither driver shared much about their initial impressions of the car, which is a crucial vehicle for Mercedes as they try to regain their form and challenge for the championship after a disappointing 2022 season.

Russell stated that “We understand that the first true test of the car will be during pre-season testing in Bahrain.”

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However, Russell mentioned that the car looked great on the circuit and that the feeling from inside the car was positive, at least so far.

Hamilton expressed that he generally felt comfortable in the car.

Mercedes’ trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin, acknowledged that the conditions during the run on Thursday differed greatly from what they will encounter during testing and the season opener.

Shovlin mentioned that although the conditions for filming and running were not ideal, the team was able to complete the allowed 100km without any problems. He also noted that both drivers were able to provide a good evaluation of their initial impressions of the car.

Shovlin commented that the conditions in Bahrain will be significantly different from the cold and wet track at Silverstone, but he believes that everything is working well so far.

All 10 teams have conducted shakedown runs in their respective home countries in preparation for the start of pre-season testing at Sakhir, which is set to begin next Thursday.

Ferrari conducted their shakedown at their Fiorano test track, AlphaTauri ran their tests at Misano, and Alfa Romeo used the Barcelona circuit. The remaining seven teams carried out their shakedown runs at Silverstone.