Bird says goals achieved in test

It was Bird's first full Formula 1 test after previously running straightline testing for Williams and he set the third-fastest time overall despite not running in qualifying trim.

"We were working on our programme and we were sticking to it," Bird told AUTOSPORT. "It was not about going gung-ho and setting the world alight; we had a target and I think we achieved what we wanted to.

"Over the last two days, myself and the team have been working on lots of things and we are both very happy with what we've got out of it. The work that we did was good and we think that we've learned from it."

The GP2 race-winner added that it did not take long to adapt to F1 machinery when he first ran on Tuesday.

"It's a Formula 1 car so it's a very refined piece of machinery and it took a little bit of getting used to, but I think that I was able to get to a reasonable level quite quickly and then it was a case of fine-tuning," he said. "But the guys at Mercedes were great at pointing out where I needed to improve.

"To do your first proper test is a great moment and to pull out of the garage in a Mercedes was a great honour and a privilege."