Mercedes avoid 'major issues' as George Russell hails shakedown test

George Russell has hailed the progress made by Mercedes across the Barcelona shakedown test, confirming that no "major issues" were experienced.

Thursday marked the end of Mercedes’ running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, having also run on Monday and Wednesday.

The Silver Arrows have looked strong throughout the week, gathering significant mileage as well as setting some very quick lap times.

Kimi Antonelli drove for Mercedes on Thursday morning before handing the W17 over to Russell in the afternoon.

Russell completed 77 laps and set a 1:16.455 to end the fourth day as the fastest driver, while Antonelli was quickest in the morning session.

In total, the Brackley-based outfit has completed 500 laps, providing a huge amount of data to analyse ahead of the two tests in Bahrain.

"It's been another decent day and overall, a positive shakedown for us here in Barcelona," said Russell. 

"The car feels nice to drive but more importantly, we've completed plenty of mileage and had no major issues. The minor issues we've come across we've been able to resolve which is the purpose of such running.

"The car is working well but we know that it is not about the car working well, it's about how fast it can go. We don't have any indication of that yet so we will have to wait until Bahrain until we get any indications of the relative pecking order. It's very early days but we can be pleased with this initial foundation we have put in place.

"It's an exciting time for our sport with possibly one of the most impactful regulations changes we've seen. It's an honour to be representing Mercedes, particularly as we mark the 140th anniversary of Carl Benz's invention of the motor car today. 

"It's quite apt to be behind-the-wheel of such an innovative machine today; I am excited to continue our journey towards the season and look ahead to going racing."