Mercedes continued to log laps in Jerez on Wednesday, while showing little sign of the true pace that most observers believe that the car is capable of unleashing.
Despite a cooling issue and a spin, Lewis Hamilton completed 117 laps on Wednesday, ensuring that the team is way ahead of all its rivals in terms of the data collected this week, with the Brit's second-day mark of 91 representing the lowest total achieved.
“It's been pretty amazing this week to see how reliable the car has been and how much mileage we've covered,” said Hamilton. “The team here at the track and back at the factories is so enthusiastic and energized which is great to see. We all loved the experience of last year and everyone wants to do it again. This is where you prove out the car - looking for as many laps as you can, not searching for fast times. It's been really positive from that perspective and every day here the car has got better as we learn more about it.
“Everyone will keep bringing upgrades through pre-season, so the cars will develop and they will improve and that then carries on through the first race. I can't really say much about the performance of the car yet but it doesn't feel any worse than last year's, which is a good sign. I'm fit and ready to go - 117 laps today felt fairly easy - so I'm already looking forward to getting back to it in Barcelona.”
Asked if he was frightened by the mileage achieved by Mercedes, McLaren boss Eric Boullier said: “I think what was more frightening was the fact that they were doing pit stop training on the first day! That means their confidence level is very high. They had such an advantage in 2014, I don't see them fading in 2015. The only thing we can expect or hope is that everybody is closing the gap.”
