George was first up in today’s track session in Barcelona, taking the W13 out in clear conditions at the Circuit De Barcelona-Catalunya to bank solid mileage as the team worked through its scheduled testing programme.
Lewis took the baton for the afternoon session, completing 50 laps focused on characterising the W13 and better understanding how it rides and handles.
We got through a lot of work today and both drivers have been able to give us their initial impressions of the W13. Overall the day has been surprisingly straightforward although looking up and down the pitlane, you can see how high the reliability standards are and most teams seemed to be running their programmes without issue.
There really is a lot to try and cram into the six days of winter testing when you consider how different the car and the regulations are. Nevertheless, we have made good progress on understanding the aerodynamics and the tyres, while at the same time getting nearly 600km under our belts. From a pace point of view it’s too early to say where anyone stands, we’ve also got a few wrinkles to iron out in terms of balance and performance before really trying to put times on the board. However, our overall feeling from today is a good one and we’re looking forward to making more progress tomorrow.