Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport completed 143 laps of the Bahrain International Circuit on Wednesday, as the first in-season test of 2017 concluded in Bahrain.
Valtteri Bottas was behind the wheel of the W08 EQ Power+ and ended the day top of the timesheets, clocking a 1:31.280 on the SuperSoft compound Pirelli tyre late in the afternoon. The programme was focused on tyre and aerodynamic analysis, engine development evaluation and setup work to address issues with poor rear grip in Sunday's race. Mercedes completed a total of 658 laps – 2879km – during the Bahrain test.
"Today was very good", says Bottas.
"We got so much running done. We were focusing all-day on the long-run pace, which was a bit of a problem for us on Sunday compared to Ferrari. We did some interesting tests to try and improve both the tyre life and the race pace. We have definitely got plenty to analyse tonight. I think I learned a few tricks today as well. To stay here in Bahrain for a test after two back to back races is tough, but the guys have done a great job over these two days of testing. Now we head home for a few days before the next race in Russia."
| 1. | V. Bottas | Mercedes Grand Prix | 01:31.280 | 143 |
| 2. | S. Vettel | Ferrari | 01:31.574 | 64 |
| 3. | C. Sainz Jr. | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 01:31.884 | 68 |
| 4. | S. Vandoorne | McLaren | 01:32.108 | 81 |
| 5. | K. Magnussen | Haas F1 | 01:32.120 | 88 |
| 6. | E. Ocon | Force India F1 | 01:32.142 | 60 |
| 7. | D. Kvyat | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 01:32.213 | 61 |
| 8. | G. Paffett | Williams | 01:32.253 | 126 |
| 9. | S. Sirotkin | Renault | 01:32.287 | 90 |
| 10. | P. Gasly | Red Bull Racing | 01:32.568 | 65 |
| 11. | P. Wehrlein | Sauber | 01:34.462 | 91 |
| 12. | S. Perez | Force India F1 | 01:35.015 | 70 |
