Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell braved the winds and rain in their first experience of the W13 launched for the 2022 season.
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Mercedes’ 2022 championship car W13 hit the track for the first time amid windy and rainy conditions at Silverstone. The W13 was launched on Friday before it took on the British Grand Prix venue under the control of their frontman Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. The theme of the car is highlighted by its long and slim design with narrow sidepods on either side. However, even though taking the new car for a spin was an excitement for Russell, the weather didn’t do him much of a favour.
“It was absolutely crazy, but we managed to keep the car on the black stuff. To be honest we just went through the program of just running it, making sure I’m comfortable – which I am and I’m pleased about,” Russell told Formula1.com.
But the British driver highlighted that the car handled well in testing conditions which is a huge bonus for the team.
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“The car handled I’d say largely as we expected but equally with these conditions, in the wet, and with the wind, there’s not a huge amount you can take from it. So far we’re in a good place and I think we’re in a good window ahead of Barcelona,” he said.
The winds at Silverstone touched 100kmp/h during its first unofficial testing. It made lives difficult for the drivers. But Russell said that the team will take the results and experience with a ‘pinch of salt’ and reflect on it ahead of the pre-season track testing in Spain on February 23.
“I think the facts are, if you take the exact same car when there’s no wind and then you put it in 100km/h winds it’s going to feel very difficult to drive,” said Russell. “It certainly wasn’t easy out there in the conditions but it was certainly in line with what we saw on the simulator.
“I’ll be going back and correlating this afternoon but it is going to be a constant learning process. We’re all going to take today with a pinch of salt, get through the programme, make sure the car runs okay, make sure the drivers are comfortable and make sure we’re in the best spot possible ahead of Barcelona.”
Hamilton, meanwhile, took over his teammate in the unofficial testing as he gears up for a record eighth title in his 10th season. He missed out on his record title in 2021 by a whisker as Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing won the season after his victory at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021.
