George Russell shares insights after driving the Mercedes W15, finding it more enjoyable than last year’s W14 during Bahrain’s pre-season testing. The team aims to address last year’s rear end issues.
George Russell states that the Mercedes F1 W15 is more enjoyable to drive than the 2023 W14, having completed significant mileage on the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain.
At the launch of its 2024 F1 car, Mercedes emphasized the need to make the vehicle less challenging for drivers, focusing on improving the “problematic” rear end of last year’s car.
After completing 122 laps and clocking a best time that was only 12th fastest of the day – some 2.7 seconds slower than Max Verstappen’s benchmark – Russell was positive about the car’s initial feedback.
“It was fantastic to drive the W15 for the first time at a good pace today.”
“Right from the start, I felt we had a solid base to begin with. We’ve completed a lot of laps and have a lot of data to go through tonight. We ended the day in a fairly good position and there’s a lot we can build on over the next two days.”
“We’ll focus on maximizing mileage for learning rather than chasing an optimal sweet spot with the car. Overall, the W15 is more pleasurable to drive than last year’s car. We know it’s not about feeling, but speed. However, today was about learning, not performance chasing.”
“We’re focusing on ourselves during this test, and it’s only next week that we’ll see where we stand in relation to others.”
“It was a positive first day and I’m looking forward to getting back in the car on Friday.”
Indeed, Lewis Hamilton will take over from Russell for the entire day on Thursday.
Russell: Mercedes W15 Better to Drive Than W14. Russell: Mercedes W15 Better to Drive Than W14
- ReadMore>Verstappen Dominates Bahrain Test Day One
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