I
PRE-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES
Hamilton took over from new teammate Valtteri Bottas for the afternoon session, the Mercedes sporting a new fin with a slot that is understood to be a exit duct for hot air.
The Brit ran 73 laps, just a few less than Bottas had during the morning session, to set a time of 1:21.765 on the new soft tyres.
Sebastian Vettel in the Ferrari also looked to be happy, completing lap after lap on the Barcelona track and finishing the day second on the timings with over a hundred laps under his belt.
Whilst it’s not possible to read too much into the times set today, with different teams running different programmes to get to grips with their new cars, we can learn some things from today’s test.
This was the first time we got to see the new shark fins in action. It was noted that the aero device on the Williams, and other teams, were unstable and wobbled. This could be a problem if they’re not considered a “stable aerodynamic device”, which would be illegal and inefficient.
Shark fins weren’t the only thing causing problems.
McLaren’s Fernando Alonso completed an entire lap in the morning session before having to return to the garage due to an oil system issue. The Spaniard managed to get back onto the track in the afternoon, only to come back into the pits at a crawling pace a few minutes later. He did eventually manage to come back out, setting nearly 30 laps in total to set the 10th fastest time of the day.
Red Bull also battled technical issues. Daniel Ricciardo brought out the first red flag of 2017 when he stopped on track due to sensor issues. In the afternoon session, battery issues halted the team’s running. Ricciardo managed to complete 50 laps to set to fifth fastest time.
TIMES/LAPS
1. Lewis Hamilton (PM) - 1:21.765 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 73 Laps
2. Sebastian Vettel – 1:21.878 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 127 Laps
3. Felipe Massa - 1:22.076 / Williams-Mercedes / 103 Laps
4. Kevin Magnussen - 1:22.894 / Haas-Ferrari / 50 Laps
5. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:22.926 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / 48 Laps
6. Valtteri Bottas (AM) - 1:23.169 - Mercedes-Mercedes / 79 Laps
7. Sergio Perez - 1:23.709 / Force India-Mercedes / 39 Laps
8. Carlos Sainz - 1:24.494 / Toro Rosso-Renault / 51 Laps
9. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:24.784 / Renault-Renault / 57 Laps
10. Fernando Alonso – 1:24.852 / McLaren-Honda / 29 Laps
11. Marcus Ericsson – 1:26.841 / Sauber-Ferrari / 72 Laps
----
Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
No copyright infringement intended
Follow us on Twitter
No comments:
Post a Comment