The Mercedes drivers ended the first working day at the Abu Dhabi circuit on the 6th and 8th lines of the protocol, with George Russell ahead of his teammate. In addition, Lewis Hamilton’s car was driven during the first practice session by Frederic Vesti, a Formula 2 driver and member of the Mercedes youth program – the Dane then recorded the 12th fastest time.
George Russell (6th): “Friday was more or less productive. In the first session there were a lot of new guys on the track, so we didn’t get a good idea of what our pace was compared to others. However, Frederick did a good job of gathering a large amount of useful information for the team.
The second session was interrupted more than once, which again prevented us from getting a full picture of how we stack up against our opponents. However, there is a lot to analyze tonight and hopefully this will help prepare for the final race of the season.”
Lewis Hamilton (8th): “I was very disappointed with how the second training went and I suspect all riders can say the same. In the end we did very little work on the track, we were not able to complete a long series of laps, even though that was the most important part of the work on Friday.
In the laps we did drive, the car left a normal impression. The grip was good and we still have a few things to work on. We will do that tonight to see where we can improve.
It is a shame that we were not able to work more on the track, but we will try to make up for this in the third training session on Saturday.”
Frederik Vesty (12th in first session): “This was my second training in Formula 1 and it was an incredible experience. I’ve been waiting for it for a long time, especially because it took place on a track I know well. I’m happy with how it went because I made good progress in that hour.
I felt more confident behind the wheel of the car than in Mexico City because I learned a lot then. There is always something to work on and I’m already looking forward to getting back behind the wheel during Tuesday’s test to continue what I started. I would like to thank Toto Wolff and the entire team again for this opportunity and for their support.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
