F1 News: Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes W15 Pre-Season Test Verdict
Lewis Hamilton, the Mercedes driver set to join Ferrari next year, offered a positive assessment of the W15 F1 car in his final pre-season test with the team. The seven-time-world champion also expressed gratitude to the teams on the ground, back in Brackley and Brixworth, for their contribution to developing an entirely new car over the winter break.
Key Takeaways:
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes driver moving to Ferrari in 2025, provided a positive evaluation of the W15 F1 car during his final pre-season test with the team, expressing gratitude to the teams for developing a new car over the winter break.
- Mercedes adopted a new approach to its 2024 car after two years of struggles in the ground effect era, aiming to compete with Red Bull's dominance in Formula 1.
- Despite his impending move to Ferrari, Hamilton praised Mercedes for the work on the new car, stating that it appears to be "in good shape" and expressing eagerness for the start of the 2024 season.
After struggling for two years in the ground effect era, Mercedes chose a brand new approach toward its 2024 car to put up a proper fight against the dominating force in Formula 1- Red Bull.
While Hamilton's wait for a potent Mercedes car ended with his announcement of joining Ferrari next year, the British driver praised Mercedes for the work done on the new car, noting that it appears to be "in good shape". Conveying enthusiasm while acknowledging that there is additional work to accomplish in the days ahead, Hamilton said:
"Overall, it's been a really good test.
"I'm really proud of everyone trackside and those back at the factory. Every single woman and man has been working tirelessly, both at Brackley, Brixworth, and here in Bahrain.
"It's massively encouraging and great to see everyone working so well together. The focus, determination, and communication is the best I've ever seen.
"We know we've got work to do and we're not yet where we want to be. We knew that would be the case coming into the test though."We've got a great platform to build on. We'll go away and work hard over the next couple of days to go through all the data from the test. I'm really excited for the start of the season next week and we'll be heading into it in good shape."
