Nico Rosberg continued the intense programme of pre-season F1 testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Cataluña yesterday, clocking up an incredible 801km worth of high-speed laps.
Getting his first taste of 2016-spec power – at the wheel of the box fresh Mercedes-Benz F1 W07 Hybrid – Nico launched down the pit lane at precisely 9am, completing a whopping 81 laps in the morning sessions before the mandatory one-hour lunch break. After refueling and tweaking the setup, Nico attacked the Spanish black-top again, clocking up another impressive 91 laps.
All told, the 30-year-old German racer recorded 172 laps – focusing on aerodynamic setup and race simulation, including starts and pit stops – making the Mercedes AMG PETRONAS Team the leading outfit in terms of mileage for the second day in succession.
“That was an F1 Marathon today! It’s great to see that we are already able to do a lot of mileage – and we didn’t have a single problem either, which is really incredible,” Nico told us. “I’m very happy and proud of what the boys and girls at Brackley and Brixworth have done over the winter. I already feel very comfortable in the car. It’s a big positive to see everyone pushing so hard in all areas – bringing new developments like the floor we saw today, for example.
“The opposition are chasing us hard and we need to keep being innovative to stay ahead. At this time it’s not possible to say how quick we are compared to the others. We will maybe know more at the end of next week – but only Melbourne will give the full picture. Overall, it’s been a great start to the testing program.”
Testing continues on Wednesday with Lewis back in the hot seat, followed by Nico’s second full day on Thursday.