Hamilton says he feels “comfortable” with the Mercedes W14. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton got to drive his new Formula 1 car for the first time on Thursday as part of a filming day organised by Mercedes AMG F1 at Silverstone.
Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton took the wheel of the 2023 Mercedes W14 for the first time at Silverstone in the UK on Thursday.
While the Mercedes W14 was unveiled on Wednesday, the German carmaker’s team organised two days of filming at Silverstone and it was Britain’s George Russell who had the opportunity to drive the new car first on Wednesday, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton having to wait until Thursday before he could finally take the wheel.
Feedback from Hamilton on the car
Lewis Hamilton took his first laps of the new car on a wet Silverstone track on Thursday, but the British driver did not hide his enthusiasm at the end of the day, indicating that he felt comfortable behind the wheel of the W14.
“It’s great to get up and take control of the W14. It’s always a long-awaited moment for everyone at the factory who has worked so hard,” said Hamilton.
“I’m incredibly grateful for all the effort they’ve put in. The day went smoothly, we ran a good programme and made some useful discoveries. I was comfortable in the car and I’m just looking forward to Bahrain (for winter testing).”
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Feedback from Mercedes
“We had a good start to the programme for the W14. The conditions were not ideal for filming or running, but we covered the 100km allowed without any problems, and both drivers were able to give us a good assessment of their first impressions of the car.” added Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes Performance Director.
“Bahrain will be very different to a cold and wet Silverstone, but everything seems to be working well. I hope we can get off to a good start next week and maximise the three days of pre-season testing we have.”
The Mercedes W14 will indeed be on track from next week in Bahrain for the 2023 winter test, which takes place from February 23-25 at the Sakhir track.
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