Renault, Mercedes and McLaren’s reaction to the first day of F1 pre-season testing.
Renault
Nico Hulkenberg (9th time, +3.019sec to 1st, 57 laps)
“It was an exciting first day with a new team and a completely different type of Formula 1 car. It feels very different out on track with a lot of new aspects to discover as we’re at the start of a steep learning curve. The car certainly feels faster than those to the previous regulations and it is fun to drive. You certainly realise you’ve got more downforce in the corners. It wasn’t the most trouble-free day, but it’s been a good start in my new home.”
Nick Chester, Renault Chassis Technical Director
“Even though we didn’t get as many laps as we wanted, it’s been a productive first day of the test for the R.S.17. We have made good progress in terms of understanding the balance required for these new cars and we have a good direction for tomorrow. It was great to have Nico in the car and we ended the day with a long run to give us a good amount of data to work over. We did lose track time whilst we rectified some issues with the front brake ducts, but we have that in hand. Overall, we learnt a lot today.”
So @HulkHulkenberg, first impressions after driving the R.S.17?#F1Testing pic.twitter.com/50lWODMsLJ
— Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) 27 February 2017
Mercedes
Valtteri Bottas (6th time, +1.404sec to 1st, 79 laps)
“It was a very good first morning for us. We were doing quite a lot of mechanical tests, checking systems, while trying to do mileage. We did 79 laps, more than a race distance, which is very good for the first morning of running. If we are going to face any issues with the car I hope we can face them now. That’s why we did more than a race this morning. That was our target.
“We worked on long-runs, trying to gain all the information we could from these conditions. We didn’t really care at all about lap times today. As a team we still have many more important days ahead of us. The main thing to do is to get the mileage in and the car had no issues. The guys have done an amazing job over the winter. I only started just over a month ago, but the way the car has been running is impressive. It’s a good feeling.
“I did a few laps at Silverstone, but now this is proper testing. It was very special to do the first few laps. This is a new era for Formula 1. The car feels very different to last year. You can definitely feel the impact of the new regulations – the increased loads, the bigger, heavier cars, and more grip. I think they look great. They’re great fun to drive and they’re fast in the corners too. Racing is still unknown, but so far so good. Physically the cars feel more demanding, but luckily I am well prepared for the season ahead.”
Day 1 AM in the car with 79laps ? All good so far, getting to know the #W08. Back in the car tomorrow PM! #F1Testing #VB77 @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/pEZfQTXIi8
— Valtteri Bottas (@ValtteriBottas) 27 February 2017
Lewis Hamilton (fastest time, 73 laps)
“It’s been a good day, a really positive day for the team. The car looks fantastic and it feels great. We did lots of laps and collected loads of information today, so we can try to improve the car as we move forward. We’ve not done any work to get the balance perfect yet, as today was all about ticking off the list of checkpoints and racking up mileage.
“I definitely put my body to the test today. These test days are like training. It was good to feel the wider, beefier car. It’s faster, more physical… it’s a beast! You’ve got to drive it a bit differently. It’s so much better than last year’s cars. The G-Forces are definitely higher. We’re pulling two more G than we’d usually pull around here. There’s so much more downforce, which is something you always want as a driver. You always want to go faster through the corners.
“The tyres are so hard that they don’t drop off. Most likely we’ll be doing more one-stoppers. Normally you get a lot of degradation with these tyres – but these ones don’t degrade. They’re very consistent, and there’s not a big difference between the feeling on the first lap and the last lap.
“Over the next few days we’ll start to look to improve the car. I still think we’re the team to beat – but we have a lot of work ahead of us to do, the same as every single team on the grid. Right now we’re just focusing on our own job to do the very best that we can.”
So good to be back in the car. The team killing it on day 1. #W08 #EQPower+ @MercedesAMGF1 ? x @suttonimages pic.twitter.com/tU3qRiml2L
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) 27 February 2017
McLaren
Fernando Alonso (10th time, +3.087sec to 1st, 29 laps)
“Obviously today hasn’t been the most perfect start to winter testing, which is a little bit disappointing. We lost a lot of track time which isn’t ideal at pre-season testing, but the situation is what it is, and there’s nothing we can do. It’s important that we learn from it and don’t repeat the same thing, and try to make up some time in the next couple of days.
“There’s not much to gauge from the car at the moment after only 29 laps, since the first few laps of any running on the first day consist of installations and the necessary systems checks. I’m looking forward to having a proper day of running and hopefully we’ll then be able to make some more conclusive evaluations.
“It’s too early to fully assess the performance and the feeling of the new cars under the new regulations, but at least aesthetically they look much more like Formula 1 cars should look. Let’s wait and see what happens in the next few days, but I’m very motivated and ready for the new challenge.”
Eric Boullier, McLaren Racing Director
“Of course, it’s disappointing to have encountered issues so early in the running, but this situation is not too unusual with a brand-new car. It’s better to have these issues here than in Australia. Honda is investigating the problem carefully in order to find the proper solutions, so we need to let them do that before drawing any premature conclusions.
“We had a filming day yesterday which went fine, so today is a bit of a setback, but the team worked hard during the morning session to get the car back up and running as quickly as we could following the power unit change. It’s encouraging that we were able to continue our programme in the afternoon and get some laps under our belt – that’s the most important thing.
“It’s just the first day, so let’s wait and see. We’ve shown some progress in the past two seasons, and I hope we can continue seeing progress this year, too.”
Yusuke Hasegawa, Honda R&D Head of F1 project
“This morning, we detected an oil systems issue during Fernando’s installation lap. In the interest of time we decided the best course of action was to change the PU.
“Based on initial investigations, we think the issue is related to the shape of the 2017 oil tank, but it requires further investigation before we can confirm this.
“In the afternoon, we were able to continue with our test programme for today. We will continue our efforts through the night to improve the situation for tomorrow’s running.”
Nose to nose with Fernando and the #MCL32. #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/tCLh2BraU5
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) 27 February 2017
