Russell had relaxing first day: 'A lot to learn, analyse, and improve'

After three seasons at Williams, Russell has finally been given the chance to take a seat next to Lewis Hamilton in the W13. It is not the first time he has driven the Mercedes, however, as he was already given the chance in 2020 when Hamilton dropped out due to a coronavirus infection. Now, however, Russell gets the big responsibility to perform as a teammate of the seven-time world champion.

The first day of testing is over for Russell. On Thursday, the drivers will once again crawl into the new cars, but at Mercedes, it is still unclear who will be in action. We expect Hamilton and Russell to both be back in action, but to swap the morning and afternoon sessions. On the Mercedes social media, the 24-year-old reacts to his first productive day.

'We have a lot to learn'

"It was good. It’s always nice to be back behind the wheel, you know, giving it some beans and trying to have some fun. But it was, I would say, pretty relaxed for a test. We still did 77 laps, so I’m feeling a bit sore here and there. It was great to be behind the wheel going through the test program, and get a first look at this new car, the new tyres, the new downforce characteristics."

Mercedes drove a total of 127 laps on Wednesday, compared to Ferrari's 153 laps and Max Verstappen's 147 laps. "A lot to learn, a lot to analyse, and a lot to improve as always, to try and go forward and make the car go even faster. We’re here to do a job which is understanding what the car is doing", Russell ends.