’Mercedes has got the legs on everyone’

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Williams’ Rod Nelson says “Mercedes has got the legs on everyone” so far in pre-season testing.

Mercedes again completed the most mileage during the second test at the Circuit de Catalunya, with Nico Rosberg also setting an impressive time on the medium compound tyre. Looking at where Williams stacks up in comparison to its rivals, chief test and support engineer Nelson admits Mercedes is quickest but he’s unsure about who could be its main competition.

”I think it’s reasonable to say that Mercedes has got the legs on everyone at the moment,” Nelson said. “Red Bull maybe not so clear, but we know where we are, we know our performance deficits and we know where we’ve got to do additional work.”

Asked about Ferrari’s apparent improvement, Nelson said history had shown that it might not seem to be as significant come the first race in Melbourne.

“Certainly better than last year. I’d imagine a chunk of that is coming with the engine. They tend to be quite competitive in winter but maybe not so much when we start going racing.

“That’s not say you should dismiss them. They’re certainly closer than last year, that’s pretty clear. We keep an eye on everyone.”

Click here for the gallery from day four of the second test

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