MONTMELO, Spain -- Lewis Hamilton has felt none of the negative traits of last year's Mercedes W08 in this year's car, but says he's still getting to know the W09.
The reigning champion completed another 84 laps at the wheel of the new Mercedes on Thursday and is due to drive it for the last time before the Australian Grand Prix on Friday morning.
Last year's car had a narrow operating window that meant Hamilton sometimes struggled to extract performance from the tyres at certain tracks. The handling characteristics led Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff to label the car "a diva" and the nickname soon stuck in the media.