Hamilton is convinced Mercedes have "made a step forward" despite engine troubles
F1 News
Mercedes experienced a very rare event during the penultimate day of winter testing in Barcelona. Lewis Hamilton stopped out on track when his engine stopped working to an oil pressure issue. Despite this trouble, the six-time world champion believes the car is an improvement on last year's title-winning challenger.
Just when you think Mercedes have reached the limit, they arrive with the new DAS system. To end the week, Valtteri Bottas set a 1:16.196 to top the timesheets on the final day of the week. His teammate Hamilton believes improvements have been made.
"We made it through testing! It's crazy how quickly these past two weeks have gone. It's been intense, with a huge amount of work from everybody at the track and back home at the factories. The car's feeling like a step forward from last year, but it's clear we've still got a few issues we need to iron out ahead of Melbourne," Hamilton said.
"I've got total confidence in the team and know they'll be doing everything they can to make sure we arrive in Australia in a good place. The start of the new season comes around so quickly and now we go racing in just two weeks' time. I can't wait."