“Last year, we finished second overall in the constructors’ championship so there is only one more step, which is a hard one to take, but hopefully this vehicle will help us achieve it. We have improved in many areas”.
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“We were happy with the auto and how it felt, but it is better to be first in about a month’s time”.
Hamilton was 0.470 seconds slower than Vettel with Finland’s Valtteri Bottas third quickest in a Mercedes-powered Williams and completing 43 laps.
Despite a few early teething problems which frustrated race director Eric Boullier, Jenson Button was able to log 82 laps, but the MP4-31 was still well down on pace almost two seconds behind Vettel in fifth fastest. “No racing – just family, friends and snowboarding”, he said as Mercedes launched the W07 Hybrid on the first morning of pre-season testing in Barcelona on Tuesday.
Hamilton’s teammate Nico Rosberg will be driving for the first time Tuesday, as will Button’s teammate Fernando Alonso.
In 2015, Alonso had completed just six laps of Jerez on his first day in the vehicle.
“I think so far the first thing that matters is that the feeling is good and the initial feeling was fine. So that means we know the vehicle is better than a year ago”.
But while Ferrari may have taken early bragging rights on the timesheet, Mercedes conquered the mileage charts with their W07 clocking an astonishing 155 laps – almost double that of any other new vehicle.
Hamilton didn’t waste time trying out the new Mercedes that he will attempt to guide to a third consecutive championship this year.
The US-based Haas F1 team made their debut, and triggered the first red flag of the season when Romain Grosjean’s vehicle shed its front wing and marshals were called in to sweep up the debris.
His fastest lap time, 1:24.867 set while running on the mediums, was good for only fourth-best on the day, however.
Mercedes has dominated the last two F1 seasons, and with no major regulation changes this year, is expected to be the team to catch again.
Sergio Perez was third quickest for Force India after leaping ahead of Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg with an impressive run on the supersoft tyres in the afternoon session, but Rosberg could satisfy himself with being the day’s overwhelming lap leader. Hamilton and Rosberg’s relationship has been far from friendly in their three seasons as teammates with numerous clashes on and off the track. “Normally in the first day you always have problems here and there with the auto stopping so fingers crossed that will continue”.
“It was important the vehicle is asking doing what I asked for”, said a satisfied Vettel soon after finishing his session.
Boullier said: “The first data we have gathered on the vehicle are looking as though the numbers on the auto is correlating, so that’s good”.
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“We have been talking about this for a long time, so if we can’t agree that is a failure in my opinion”.
