George Russell has stated Mercedes is experiencing a positive correlation between its simulations and its W17 car for the first time in several years.
The Brackley-based squad enjoyed a strong shakedown test in Barcelona last week, setting more laps than any other team.
Mercedes are the early-season favourites heading into the new season under fresh technical regulations - but Russell asserted the team is not reading into any of the speculation.
"Definitely, we wanted to reel in expectations because as confident as we were that there weren't going to be any crazy unknowns or unforeseen things happening with the car like we saw with porpoising, we still didn't know," Russell told media including RacingNews365.
"Nobody expected porpoising in 2022 so you couldn't discount everything right now.”
Under the previous cycle of technical regulations, Mercedes struggled for form as it hit snags with the development of its cars.
But having studied the initial data from the Barcelona test, Russell detailed that it is seeing correlation with its simulations for the first time since 2021.
“That's why I think we left Barcelona with a positive feeling, because the car reacted as we anticipated.
"The numbers we're seeing from the aero on the car match what we see back on the simulator.
“How the car is handling is matching how it feels on the simulator. This is something we've not really experienced since 2021 as a team.”
However, the Red Bull and Ferrari power units also showed strong reliability at an early stage - leaving Russell wary of a potential fight at the front of the field.
"We're sort of ticking the boxes on everything that we want to tick, but we can't discount our rivals,” he said.
“There was a lot of talk around the Red Bull power unit not being up to standard in year one. From what we've seen so far, they've definitely delivered.
"Ferrari power unit looks reliable, they did lots of laps not far behind us over the course of the test, and from a power unit side, Haas did loads of laps as well with the Ferrari engine.
"So the truth is there could be a good fight on our hands, but we're satisfied with what we've experienced so far."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes and Nick Golding, as they look back on last week's five-day F1 test in Barcelona. McLaren's upgrade strategy is discussed, as is Aston Martin grabbing much attention with its striking AMR26.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Most read
In this article
Join the conversation!