This video is the perfect illustration of that, comparing onboard shots from Lewis Hamilton’s 2016 Spanish Grand Prix pole lap and a lap by Valtteri Bottas during the second test.
Hamilton put in a 1:22.000 to take pole position at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last year, driving his Mercedes W07.
Bottas was behind the wheel of the new Silver Arrows, the W08, and smashed in a mightily impressive 1:19.310 on day two of the second test.
As you can see from the comparison video, Bottas quickly moves ahead of Hamilton’s P1 qualifying lap thanks to the W08’s new aerodynamics and wider tyres.
This is just the start, too. Lap times will continue to fall as these new cars develop, we can’t wait to see them racing now…