Nico Rosberg was looking to put his 2016 Spanish Grand Prix experience behind him as he got back behind the wheel of his Mercedes AMG Petronas W07 Hybrid in the first day of in-season testing at Barcelona today.
The German driver completed a total of 119 laps over the two sessions, 54 laps in the morning and a further 65 in the afternoon.
The team focused their efforts on suspension and setup work using Pirelli’s medium compound tyre. They also used the test to analyse the powertrain.
“It’s good to be back in the car.” enthused Rosberg. “I learned a lot and we made good progress – which is really important, as it’s my only test day for the whole year, so I needed to make the most out of it and try to learn as much as possible.
“We did some suspension and setup work – just a few different small bits.” he added.
Rosberg ended the day in second place after completing a total of 1,815.45km and revealed that he can’t wait to get back to business soon.
“I’m looking forward to the rest of the season – but my focus right is now on Monaco. We’ll have to keep an eye on our opposition as always but I’m feeling confident and aiming for another win.” said Rosberg.
Driving duties tomorrow will be taken on by Mercedes-Benz Junior driver Esteban Ocon, who completed today’s testing behind the wheel of the Renault Sport F1 car.
