© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
By Carol M. Creasey
Three days of teams testing their cars in Barcelona ended yesterday. On the first day, it was Mclaren and Ferrari who impressed, whilst Mercedes did not stand out. George Russell finished the day in third place, and Max Verstappen was ninth.
On the second day, Lewis Hamilton endured a tricky session, and only managed a few laps. On Friday, the last day of testing in Barcelona, Russell led the times in the morning with 1m19.233s. Lewis took to the track in the afternoon, while tyres were being tested in wet conditions. At the very end of the session he set his fastest time when the track was drying out. It was 1m19.138s, which was the fastest of anyone.
Although Verstappen in his Red Bull was fourth fastest with a time of 1m19.756s, he set this time on a harder tyre compound. He was beaten by his team-mate by two tenths, but Sergio Perez was running a softer tyre.
Although he had topped the timesheets, Lewis was not getting excited about that. He stated that there was still much to do, and it had been a tough three days. Obviously all the teams will regroup with their engineers in a bid to improve their cars before the second test in Bahrain. All the hard work involved to satisfy the new regulations has culminated in cars that are different to drive, and it has made 2022 a very challenging year.
Lewis has bounced back from the disappointment of Abu Dhabi full of drive and enthusiasm, which for his fans is pleasing to see, after the way 2021 ended for him. It is amusing to hear Red Bull advisor Helmet Marko’s words about Lewis:
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“Hamilton delivered an incredible second half of the season. I can hardly imagine he can drive at this level for much longer. He’s at his zenith now, age is slowly coming into play.”
Marko has obviously still not learnt that the more negative comments that are aimed at Lewis, the higher he rises, and the better he drives. I would like to thank Marko and all of Red Bull for inspiring our champion to rise yet again.mLewis has proven over the years, he is no ordinary driver.
When interviewed recently he stated: “If you think that what you saw at the end of last year was my best, wait until you see this year”. He is re-energised and very focused, and he knows he has a wrong to right this year.
He will continue to work with his team to develop the car, and get the best out of it, and he has his young team-mate George Russell to mentor. How lucky George is to have the best driver in Formula One to learn from. Good luck to all of the Mercedes team, and Lewis and George. We are right behind you all the way for 2022!
Be sure to follow Carol on Twitter @eagertogo and visit her website www.carolmcreasey.com!
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