Hamilton goes even faster in new Mercedes

BARCELONA: Three-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton continued his ominous form on day two of pre-season testing as he set the fastest time and most laps in the new Mercedes W08 on Tuesday morning.
Hamilton bettered his best time from Monday in 1min 20.983sec to set the fastest time at the Circuit de Catalunya since 2013.
Radical new rules for the 2017 season mean F1 cars are wider and more powerful than their predecessors.
Hamilton will give way to new teammate Valtteri Bottas for the afternoon session.
Kimi Raikkonen was second fastest but nearly two seconds off Hamilton’s time in his first outing in the Ferrari SF70.
Frenchman Esteban Ocon was third fastest for Force India.
Meantime, Formula One team Sauber has named Tatiana Calderon of Colombia as a development driver.
The 23-year-old Calderon started racing karts when she was 9 and competed in the GP3 series last season.
Sauber says she will continue to compete in GP3 in addition to acting as a development driver for the F1 team. Team principal Monisha Kaltenborn says: “We have the opportunities and facilities to provide Tatiana a professional platform on which she can further develop her knowledge and skills in racing.”
Sauber’s race drivers this season are Marcus Ericsson and Pascal Wehrlein.
Antonio Giovinazzi, however, is substituting for Wehrlein as he recovers from a back injury during this week’s preseason testing near Barcelona.