Reigning Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton finished third fastest on day one of the opening test at the Circuit de Catalunya, but was unable to return to the track following the lunch break after his Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS machine developed a fault within its power unit.
Hamilton was the pacesetter during the morning session, but rued the MGU-K failure that necessitated an engine change that curtailed his running, especially with the track getting quicker following the rain that affected the morning.
“Of course, we would have liked to have a few more laps today – especially as the sun came out later on,” said Hamilton. “But sometimes you have those days.
“I don’t see it as too much of a negative. It’s good that you find these things, whatever issues you might have, and iron them out now. It means hopefully you won’t find them at the first race.
“Testing is always difficult. If you get the whole day in the car, the sun is out and the tyres are working you can make more changes to learn where you want to put the car. Naturally, the more you drive the more you feel comfortable – but to be honest in the 50 laps I had today I felt ready to go.”
Hamilton will return to the car on Saturday for his final day in the car before beginning his title defence in Australia next month, and is hoping for a clean day on track to ready himself as much as possible.
“I had a positive feeling in the car and it was good to get the tyres working,” said Hamilton. “I’ve got one more day to now hopefully have a clean run and really pinpoint where I want to put the car for the first race.”
