Mercedes were the latest team to unveil their car for the upcoming 2017 Formula One season, and Lewis Hamilton took his new Mercedes W08 out for a spin around the Silverstone track. With the new Formula One regulations stating that cars have to be wider, Hamilton said that he could already feel the difference.
Also read: Valtteri Bottas confident he can challenge Lewis Hamilton for Formula One title
"Yesterday was the first time seeing the car come together, it's the most detailed piece of machinery I've seen so far in Formula One. It felt incredible. You've just got this bigger, more powerful beast around you" Daily Mail quoted Hamilton as saying.
"Driving today, naturally the car feels wider, which it is, and the front tires feel huge. There is quite a lot of grip already even in the cold conditions here. This is not a test; really the laps I did today were behind a vehicle to get filming in and just a shakedown. I got to go a little bit faster but it's so gusty."
Lewis Hamilton will be hoping his new beast will be able to win him his fourth Formula One world championship after losing out to Nico Rosberg by five points last season. While they were close friends throughout their karting days, their friendship saw a crack last year and Hamilton now insists that this does not bother him.
"I don't think I've ever missed a team-mate in my life. There's always another one that takes his place. It's definitely going to feel strange, being down in the garage and seeing someone else in the car next to me. But you soon move past it, you move on."
The Brit also said that while he and Valtteri Bottas have not had much time to chat and get to know each other, he has a good feeling about the Fin. Bottas also said during their car unveiling that he was really excited and was thankful to everyone for getting it ready, but said the hard work begins now.
"Valtteri seems to have settled in quite comfortably in such a small space of time. He's working really hard with all the engineers and he's got a lot of positive energy just in general" Hamilton said.
"Right now, it's a very exciting feeling for me. I want to say a big thank you to everyone in our factories for getting this car ready to go. It's been a massive effort and I've got a lot of respect for the shape we are in at the moment. But it's only the first step - and this is where the work really begins" Bottas said.
