Mercedes star reveals initial thoughts on W15 running

George Russell spent all of the first day of pre-season testing behind the wheel of Mercedes' W15, and has had his say on the team's new car.

Russell took part in both sessions on the first day of testing, and completed 121 laps in Sakhir, finishing 12th overall – just under three seconds behind pacesetter Max Verstappen.

The Brit endured a difficult season in 2023, achieving just two podium finishes and ending the year eighth in the standings.

READ MORE: Horner unfollows Verstappen as Red Bull investigation continues

Russell encouraged by W15 after first day test

The 26-year-old will be hoping for more consistency in 2024, and he has seen signs of encouragement from his Mercedes machine during testing.

Speaking on the official Mercedes X account, Russell gave his verdict on a busy day in Bahrain.

“Right, first day complete in W15, driving it in anger for the first time,” he said.

Day 1 of @F1 testing ✅ pic.twitter.com/1xRuomiAHL

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 21, 2024

“Definitely feels nicer to drive and really good foundation to build upon, but as we know, it’s not about who has the nicest car to drive, it’s about which car is the quickest on the stopwatch.

“So you know, we learn over the next few days, it’s not going to be until the race weekend where we truly see that the team have done an amazing job to make a lot of changes from last year.

“We’re in a good position and just get through our program in the next two days. “So keep on watching, thanks for the support and see you all soon.”

READ MORE: F1 Schedule 2024: Full calendar with all you need to know about every grand prix

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