Hamilton pleased to break up “tedious” testing

2016 F1 season

Posted on

| Written by

Lewis Hamilton has backed Mercedes’ decision to split its running between its two drivers on each of the remaining test days this year.

Mercedes switched its testing programme programme after completing an unprecedented 800 kilometres yesterday with Nico Rosberg at the wheel. Rosberg drove the morning session today and Hamilton completed the session, the pair amassing another 749km between them.

“It felt quite long out there today – even though it was only the afternoon session,” said Hamilton afterwards. “We’d spoken about splitting the driving beforehand, so it wasn’t a surprise.”

“I was happy to do full days – but they are long days, so the team felt it best to mix things up to keep us both fresh. I feel great now – but yesterday I was a bit sore.”

“It’s a bit like going to the gym when you haven’t been for ages. If you do a hard workout straight away, you’ll be in pain afterwards. For your neck in particular, it doesn’t matter how hard you train during the winter, driving just hits it in a different way that you can’t really simulate.”

Hamilton admitted he was pleased to break up the long periods of running. “It is quite tedious, too, going round and round all day,” he said. “It’s not like a race, where you’ve got a strategy and you’re competing – fighting the clock and your opponents.”

“But testing never has been the most exciting. I think in my younger days, back in Formula Renault for example, it was a big buzz. But by the time you’ve spent ten years in F1, it just becomes the norm.”

2016 F1 season

Browse all 2016 F1 season articles

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

39 comments on “Hamilton pleased to break up “tedious” testing”

  1. Can’t understand why the headline isn’t “Driver thinks testing is the norm”?

    :)

  2. Forget the rest of the article, I can’t believe Lewis has spent 9 years in the sport and is starting his 10th year. Time flies indeed!

    But on a different note, I understand where he is coming from. Drivers are never big fans of testing and especially when you break records after records of millage covered, it does become a bit too heavy.

    1. @neelv27 they are not fans of testing when their car is running so well. But when they need to catch up, they are crying loud to be able to test during the year. How many times have we heard the words: “football players practice during the season, we don’t and it’s mad”?

      1. @fer-no65 surely but he is making a different point here. He is emphasizing on the fact of physical and mental drain that it takes on covering 750+ kms in a day for a driver.

        1. @neelv27 yeah but the only way to solve that is to add more testing days so they don’t HAVE to run those massively long programs each day because it’s the only time they have. 450 laps in 3 days it’s just mad.

          1. Agreed @fer-no65 but fans’ opinions fell on the deaf ears like the rule changes today.

          2. @neelv27 But… but… Horner said yesterday that they had the chance to do something for the fans!

            Are you telling me they don’t care at all about us?!?! you’ll make me cry! :(

          3. Horner said yesterday that they had the chance to do something for the fans!

            One thing I’ve learnt in the last 15 years of following this sport, ‘the decision makers know nothing!’

    2. This is his 9th year… Lewis started in 2007

      1. Count again! :)

        1. Oops! I don’t feel like an idiot much! :)

      2. No, he is right. He is in his tenth year in F1;
        2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016

    3. @neelv27 – Alonso is a fan of testing for example. He once suggested to shorten the calendar and place more test days.

      1. @michal2009b Well that’s not the point is it? It’s more about insane millage in a day rather than more no of test days. It’s just a simple point that he is making.

        1. @neelv27 – yeah it’s true but you said drivers have never been big fans of testing so I simply noted that Alonso is actually one of the few who like it ;)

          1. We’ll ask his opinion when he does 750 kms in a day. :D

          2. Alonso would be bouncing off the walls with excitment if that McLaren Honda managed 750 kms in a day!!

  3. I think it is more the fact that drivers wish for testing for car development, but probably with the test driver. The race driver wants to race not test

  4. Another productive day for Mercedes. However, I do hope it’s not a case of motivation for Lewis since he has already achieved his lifetime ambition of 3 WDCs. Yes it’s tedious, but engineers love this kind of data for development direction (purposes) so there is nothing for it but to keep on keeping on!

    1. @blackmamba I think it’s also indicative that Mercedes’s latent performance is still at least half a second, and Lewis’s only true rival is again just his team mate…

  5. If it’s tedious, why not give the car to a youngster?

    1. Because Mercedes’ “youngster” is driving for Manor this year. I don’t know if they’ve even nominated a new person as their test driver.

  6. Ahh… some peoples’ boredom is sitting at the same desk every day, wearing the same ties and watching the same people deteriorate. Lewis Hamilton’s is sitting in an F1 car doing testing, while still hitting speeds and taking corners faster than most of us will ever hope to experience. LOL! I wonder if skydive instructors ever think ‘ah bugger… another jump’, dropping through the air, yawning and nodding off.

    1. I’m one of the deteriorating ones. It’s like I’m slowly melting into my office chair, becoming one with it.

  7. Oh dear poor Lewis isn’t feeling “blessed”.

  8. I think some didn’t read the full article

    1. Still, I imagine Vettel would utilize/enjoy every minute of his time in the car rather than moan about tedium and a sore neck.

  9. Why not to use test drivers?

  10. Splitting the day is a better idea, the team gets the same amount of laps and data anyway.

  11. perhaps he should check out the testing schedule during the 90s!!!

    He certainly would never of considered a Ferrari drive with the amount they used to test!

  12. It’s almost if Hamilton doesn’t have the drive to go full out. I wonder if this is his last season. If Rosberg is champion it’s here we noticed it.

    1. Mercedes makes a decision to split driver running for the rest of the test days. Lewis Hamilton is happy with said decision and backs it.

      How does this infer that Lewis Hamilton ‘doesn’t have the drive to go full out’, pray tell?

      1. @stubbornswiss Duh!

        You’ve obviously missed the directive that states anything Lewis Hamilton may say about anything, can be misconstrued and/or twisted to suit whatever agenda someone wishes to promote at Hamilton’s expense.

        1. @psynrg Yeah. I obviously missed it!

  13. i love this driver

  14. Well, being on his position he can complain. His car never fails. It’s so reliable the team needed to give a break to the drivers because the car won’t ever give up.

    If he were driving a car powered by a Honda unit, the boredom would be the last of his worries.

    1. There are reasons he’s not driving a Honda. He’s not exactly complaining either.

Comments are closed.