In-Season Test #1 - Day #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

IN-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

Test Location: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - Montmelo, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    Valtteri Bottas was quickest on the second and final day of the first in-season test of the year.

    The Mercedes driver set a fastest time of 1:16.904 and completed a total of 139 laps.

    Close behind was Antonio Giovinazzi, who ran for Ferrari. He had run for Sauber the previous day. Giovinazzi Racked up 148 laps and had a quickest time of 1:16.972.

    There were more young drivers running the field as McLaren Chose Lando Norris to run the main car for the session, while Vandoorne ran in the second car to complete more testing for Pirelli's 2019 programme.

    Lando Norris was 3rd on the time sheets, with a 1:18.039 and completed a total of 80 laps while Vandoorne finished 10th with a 1:19.914.

    Force India, who ran two cars as well, much like the previous day, Chose Nicholas Latifi for the Pirelli testing and Nakita Mazepin to run in the main car. Mazepin finished the session in 5th with a 1:18.344 while Latifi was in 13th with the slowest time of a 1:21.412.

    Toro Rosso chose two drivers after limited running on day one due to a chassis issue. Sean Gelael returned to the car for the AM Portion and finished 12th. Gasly then stepped in for the afternoon and got into 9th with a 1:19.410.

    Jack Aitken, who is currently racing in Formula 2 with the ART Grand Prix team, got to test for Renault and set some impressive times. The young British driver finished in 6th and did 120 laps. His best time was a 1:18.942, placing him just ahead of Charles Leclerc in the Sauber.

TIMES:

1. Valtteri Bottas - 1:16.904 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / 139 Laps
2. Antonio Giovinazzi - 1:16.972 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Italy / 148 Laps
3. Lando Norris - 1:18.039 / McLaren-Renault / Great Britain / 80 Laps
4. Kevin Magnussen - 1:18.274 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / 75 Laps
5. Nikita Mazepin - 1:18.344 / Force India-Mercedes / Russia / 112 Laps
6. Jack Aitken - 1:18.942 / Renault-Renault / Great Britain / 120 Laps
7. Charles Leclerc - 1:18.993 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco / 139 Laps
8. Robert Kubica - 1:19.253 / Williams-Mercedes / Poland / 123 Laps
9. Pierre Gasly (PM) - 1:19.410 / Scuderia Toro Tosso-Honda / France / 39 Laps
10. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:19.914 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium / 96 Laps*
11. Jake Dennis - 1:20.440 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Great Britain / 75 Laps
12. Sean Gelael (AM) - 1:20.763 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / Indonesia / 83 Laps
13. Nicholas Latifi - 1:21.412 / Force India-Mercedes / Canada / 121 Laps*

* - Notes drivers were testing for Pirelli's 2019 programme

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
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In-Season Test #1 - Day #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

IN-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

Test Location: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - Montmelo, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    Max Verstappen was fastest on the first day of the first in-season test of 2018. The Dutch driver finished on top with a 1:17.528 and racked up 148 laps for the Austrian team.

    Close behind in the times was Carlos Sainz with a 1:17.562. Sainz, who is being tipped to join Red Bull next year, completed 119 laps in the Renault.

    Toro Rosso had limited running after needing to change their power unit because of a problem with their chassis. Sean Gelael was running for them and finished the session in 12th with a 1:21.935 and completed a total of 50 laps.

    Both Force India and McLaren ran two cars during the session. The second cars were used to test for Pirelli's 2019 programme. McLaren also ran 3 drivers in total with 2 drivers doing the tyre resting duties.

    McLaren's main car was driven by Stoffel Vandoorne, who finished in 7th with a 1:18.981. The second car saw youngster Lando Norris drive in the AM while Oliver Turvey, who is currently competing in Formula E, took over for the PM session. Norris finished in 10th and Turvey 13th. Between the two of them, they completed a total of 134 laps.

    Force India chose current F2 driver George Russell for the tyre testing duties, while Nicholas Latifi ran in the main car. Latifi finished up in 5th with a 1:18.530 and 107 laps while Russell finished further down in 11th with a 1:21.478 and 123 laps.

    Former Formula 2 driver, Oliver Rowland, ran for Williams and finished 9th in the session, just behind Antonio Giovinazzi, who was running for Sauber. Giovinazzi set a fastest time of 1:19.693 while Rowland did a 1:20.009.

TIMES:

1. Max Verstappen - 1:17.528 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / 148 Laps

2. Carlos Sainz - 1:17.562 / Renault-Renault / Spain / 119 Laps

3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:17.659 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / 136 Laps

4. Romain Grosjean - 1:18.449 / Haas-Ferrari / France / 129 Laps

5. Nicholas Latifi - 1:18.530 / Force India-Mercedes / Canada / 107 Laps

6. Lewis Hamilton - 1:18.543 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / 151 Laps

7. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:18.981 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium / 85 Laps

8. Antonio Giovinazzi - 1:19.693 / Sauber-Ferrari / Italy / 135 Laps

9. Oliver Rowland - 1:20.009 / Williams-Mercedes / Great Britain / 121 Laps

10. Lando Norris (AM) - 1:20.997 / McLaren-Renault / Great Britain / 76 Laps*

11. George Russell - 1:21.478 / Force India-Mercedes / Great Britain / 123 Laps*

12. Sean Gelael - 1:21.935 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / Indonesia / 50 Laps

13. Oliver Turvey (PM) - 1:23.070 / McLaren-Renault / Great Britain / 58 Laps*

* - Notes drivers were testing for Pirelli's 2019 programme

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Pre-Season Test #1 - Day #1 - LINE-UP

PRE-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #1 - LINE-UP

Test Location: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - Montmelo, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

MERCEDES-MERCEDES: Valtteri Bottas (AM) / Lewis Hamilton (PM)

FERRARI-FERRARI: Kimi Raikkonen

RED BULL RACING-TAG-HEUER: Daniel Ricciardo

RENAULT-RENAULT: Nico Hulkenberg (AM) / Carlos Sainz (PM)

FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES: Nikita Mazepin

WILLIAMS-MERCEDES: Lance Stroll (AM) / Sergey Sirotkin (PM)

SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO-HONDA: Brendon Hartley 

HAAS-FERRARI: Romain Grosjean

McLAREN-RENAULT: Fernando Alonso

SAUBER-FERRARI: Marcus Ericsson

*Subject to change

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Post-Season Test - Day #2 - Re-Cap & Times

POST-SEASON TEST - DAY #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Lando Norris and Robert Kubica impressed in the final Formula 1 test of 2017.

    It was Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel at the top of the order, but the McLaren reserve driver and F1 race winner were the main attractions in Abu Dhabi.

    Kubica only completed a handful of laps, sharing testing duties for Williams with Sergey Sirotkin, a new addition to the list of drivers rumoured to be replacing the retiring Felipe Massa. Despite completing less than half as many laps as Sirotkin, Kubica was half a second quicker than the Renault reserve driver. His 1m39.485s lap time was also a tenth of a second faster than Lance Stroll’s best lap on Tuesday.

    McLaren’s Lando Norris also impressed in his first outing in an F1 car since being announced as the team’s reserve driver. He was completing the tyre test that was scheduled to take place after the Brazilian Grand Prix and finished 12th fastest, nearly two seconds slower than Stoffel Vandoorne, who finished eighth fastest in the other McLaren despite running into the tyre barriers in the first half of the day.

    Norris has been confirmed at Carlin’s Formula 2 team for the 2018 season.

    At the top of the order, Vettel set his best time of the day – a 1m37.551s – in the first hour of running. He put in 118 laps over the course of the day, but couldn’t better his time. Nobody else could even get close to it, though, with Mercedes Valtteri Bottas the next best and nearly a second slower.

    Max Verstappen was third quickest ahead of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon, who shared testing duties for Force India.

    Just 0.41s faster than Kubica, Carlos Sainz Jnr was sixth quickest.

    Kevin Magnussen and Sirotkin rounded out the top 10.

    With news that Alfa Romeo would be sponsoring Sauber in 2018 breaking, Ferrari junior driver Charles Leclerc was in the car. He could only manage 11th quickest, but his 1m40.666s lap was more than a second faster than Marcus Ericsson’s best effort on Tuesday.

    Toro Rosso duo Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly completed the order.

TIMES: 

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:37.551 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / 118 Laps
2. Valtteri Bottas - 1:38.490 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / 141 Laps
3. Max Verstappen - 1:38.736 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / 132 Laps
4. Sergio Perez (PM) - 1:38.818 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / 52 Laps
5. Esteban Ocon (AM) - 1:39.148 / Force India-Mercedes / France / 72 Laps
6. Carlos Sainz - 1:39.444 / Renault-Renault / Spain / 109 Laps
7. Robert Kubica (PM) - 1:39.485 / Williams-Mercedes / Poland / 28 Laps
8. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:39.782 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium / 105 Laps*
9. Kevin Magnussen - 1:39.810 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / 124 Laps
10. Serge Sirotkin (AM & PM) - 1:39.947 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia / 86 Laps
11. Charles Leclerc - 1:40.666 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco / 148 Laps
12. Lando Norris - 1:41.714 / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain / 118 Laps*
13. Brendon Hartley (PM) - 1:43.345 / Toro Rosso-Renault / New Zealand / 61 Laps
14. Pierre Gasly (AM)  - 1:44.827 / Toro Rosso-Renault / France / 63 Laps

* - Notes McLaren is running 2 cars during this test.

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring

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Post-Season Test - Day #2 - Line-Up

POST-SEASON TEST - DAY #2 - LINE-UP

Mercedes-Mercedes: Valtteri Bottas

Ferrari-Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel

Red Bull-TAG-Heuer: Max Verstappen

Williams-Mercedes: Sergey Sirotkin (AM & PM) / Robert Kubica (PM)*

Renault-Renault: Carlos Sainz

McLaren-Honda: Lando Norris & Stoffel Vandoorne**

Toro Rosso-Renault: Pierre Gasly (AM) / Brendon Hartley (PM)*

Force India-Mercedes: Esteban Ocon (AM) / Sergio Perez (PM)*
Sauber-Ferrari: Charles Leclerc

Haas-Ferrari: Kevin Magnussen

* - Notes drivers are sharing testing duties
** - Notes McLaren is running 2 cars during this test

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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Post-Season Test - Day #1 - Re-Cap & Times

POST-SEASON TEST - DAY #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

   The first day of the last test of 2017 got underway on Tuesday with all teams running. Mostly all drivers stayed behind at the Yas Marina circuit to do testing for their teams and also for Pirelli, who have introduced 2 new compounds for 2018: The Hyper-Soft and Super-Hard compounds.

    Kimi Raikkonen topped the time sheets with a 1:37.768, while Ricciardo was close behind in the Red Bull with a 1:38.066. Hamilton, Grosjean and Stroll completed the top 5.

    McLaren decided to run 2 cars, following the post-Brazilian GP test cancellation. Alonso ran one car while long-time development driver and current Formula E driver, Oliver Turvey, ran the other. Alonso brought out the first red flag of the session after a crash he described as a 'kiss'. It was a small hit to the wall and he walked away unharmed. He was also able to get back out later on in the session and finished in 6th with a 1:39.762. Turvey finished last on the time-sheets with a 1:41.914.

    Williams opted to run Robert Kubica in the AM portion of the session and Stroll later on in the PM portion. Kubica, who many think will make an F1 return with the Williams team in 2018, finished in 9th and racked up a total of 100 laps. Fans were waiting in the stands, chanting and singing while waving banners and photos, showing their support for him and their obvious want to see him have a full-time seat next year. Lance Stroll finished up in 5th with a 1:39.580 and completed 29 laps.

    Sean Gelael ran for Toro Rosso, despite missing out on a seat with the team for 2018. Gelael was recently confirmed to drive for PREMA Racing team in Formula 2 next year, alongside Nyck de Vries. Gelael finished in 10th and managed to do 117 laps.

    Force India ran young Russian driver, Nikita Mazepin, who currently competes in European Formula 3. Mazepin finished in 8th with a 1:39.959 and completed 90 laps.

TIMES:

1. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:37.768 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / 99 Laps

2. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:38.066 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / 109 Laps

3. Lewis Hamilton - 1:38.551 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / 136 Laps

4. Romain Grosjean - 1:39.270 / Haas-Ferrari / France / 137 Laps

5. Lance Stroll (PM) - 1:39.580 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / 29 Laps

6. Fernando Alonso - 1:39.762 / McLaren-Honda / Spain / 115 Laps*

7. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:39.803 / Renault-Renault / Germany / 85 Laps

8. Nikita Mazepin - 1:39.959 / Force India-Mercedes / Russia / 90 Laps

9. Robert Kubica (AM) - 1:41.296 / Williams-Mercedes / Poland / 100 Laps

10. Sean Gelael - 1:41.428 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Indonesia / 117 Laps

11. Marcus Ericsson - 1:41.681 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / 97 Laps

12. Oliver Turvey - 1:41.914 / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain / 105 Laps*

* - Notes McLaren is running 2 cars during this test.

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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Post-Season Test - Day #1 - Line-Up

POST-SEASON TEST - DAY #1 - LINE-UP

Mercedes-Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari-Ferrari: Kimi Raikkonen 

Red Bull-TAG-Heuer: Daniel Ricciardo

Williams-Mercedes: Robert Kubica (AM) / Lance Stroll (PM)*

Renault-Renault: Nico Hulkenberg

McLaren-Honda: Fernando Alonso & Oliver Turvey**

Toro Rosso-Renault: Sean Gelael

Force India-Mercedes: Nikita Mazepin

Sauber-Ferrari: Marcus Ericsson

Haas-Ferrari: Romain Grosjean

* - Notes drivers are sharing testing duties

** - Notes McLaren is running 2 cars during this test

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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In-Season Test #2 - Day #2 - Re-Cap & Times

IN-SEASON TEST #2 - DAY #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    McLaren prodigy Lando Norris narrowly missed out on the top time in the final Formula 1 test day at the Hungaroring.

    Sebastian Vettel finished the day fastest, just two tenths of a second quicker than 17-year-old Norris.

    Vettel set his 1:17.124s lap time in the morning, before handing over to team-mate Kimi Raikkonen. The championship leader was called up to test late and is believed to be running new parts. He was seven tenths of a second quicker than Raikkonen, who finished the day third.

    Norris, in only his first day in a Formula 1 car, completed more than 90 laps and set a lap time quicker than Fernando Alonso’s qualifying time last Saturday.

    It wasn’t all perfect for the young Brit, though, as he brought out the red flags at the end of the morning session.

    The star of the day was Robert Kubica, who drove a modern F1 car for the first time in six and a half years. Kubica completed nearly 150 laps in the RS17, after clipping the wall when leaving the garage for the first time and knocking down the “Nico Hulkenberg” sign left over from the Hungarian GP.

    Kubica’s time was fourth fastest, ahead of Carlos Sainz and Daniil Kvyat, who were sharing Toro Rosso testing duties.

    Kvyat brought out the second red flag of the day towards the end of the afternoon session. He had just improved his time to go sixth fastest when he brought out the red flag. The track turned green again five minutes later, only for the red flags to return to clear debris.

    Seventh in the timings was Lucas Auer, one of two juniors testing the Force India. He completed 49 laps and was four tenths of a quicker faster than Nikita Mazepin, who finished the day ninth.

    Mercedes junior George Russell took eighth fastest before stopping on track in the closing minutes of the afternoon session. He brought out the final red flag of the day – and the final red flag before summer break – and brought an end to the session.

    Rounding out the top 10 was Red Bull junior Pierre Gasly, who was driving for the senior team in his first day of in-season testing this year. He completed over 100 laps, but was more than a second slower than Kvyat.

    Luca Ghiotto in the Williams finished 11th, ahead of Santonio Ferruci in the Haas and Nobuhara Matsushuta in the Sauber.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel (AM) - 1:17.124 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / 40 Laps
2. Lando Norris - 1:17.385 / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain / 91 Laps
3. Kimi Raikkonen (AM/PM) - 1:17.842 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / 60 Laps
4. Robert Kubica - 1:18.572 / Renault-Renault / Poland / 142 Laps
5. Carlos Sainz (AM) - 1:18.850 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / 68 Laps
6. Daniil Kvyat (PM) – 1:19.116 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia / 54 Laps
7. Lucas Auer (AM) - 1:19.242 / Force India-Mercedes / Austria / 49 Laps
8. George Russell - 1:19.391 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / 90 Laps
9. Nikita Mazepin (PM) - 1:19.692 / Force India-Mercedes / Russia / 48 Laps
10. Pierre Gasly - 1:20.337 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / France / 107 Laps
11. Luca Ghiotto - 1:20.414 / Williams-Mercedes / Italy / 161 Laps
12. Santino Ferrucci - 1:20.994 / Haas-Ferrari / USA / 116 Laps
13. Nobuharu Matsushita - 1:21.503 / Sauber-Ferrari / Japan / 121 Laps

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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In-Season Test #2 - Day #2 - Line-Up

IN-SEASON TEST #2 - DAY #2 - LINE-UP

Mercedes-Mercedes: George Russell

Ferrari-Ferrari: Kimi Raikkonen (AM) / Sebastian Vettel (PM)

Red Bull-TAG-Heuer: Pierre Gasly

Williams-Mercedes: Luca Ghiotto

Renault-Renault: Robert Kubica

McLaren-Honda: Lando Norris

Toro Rosso-Renault: Carlos Sainz (AM) / Daniil Kvyat (PM)

Force India-Mercedes: Lucas Auer (AM) / Nikita Mazepin (PM)*

Sauber-Ferrari: Nobuharu Matsushita

Haas-Ferrari: Santino Ferrucci 

* - Notes drivers are sharing testing duties

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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In-Season Test #2 - Day #1 - Re-Cap & Times

IN-SEASON TEST #2 - DAY #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Charles Leclerc topped the time-sheets at the end of the first day of the second and last in-season test of the year. Leclerc, a reigning GP3 champion and current Formula 2 driver for PREMA Racing, finished the session with a fastest time of 1:17.746. And which team did he get to drive for? Ferrari. Leclerc is part of the Ferrari Academy and it is rumored that he will have a potential F1 drive next year with Sauber.

    GP3 driver, George Russell, drove the Mercedes and finished the session in 4th. He completed a total of 119 laps and had a fastest time of 1:19.231. Valtteri Bottas drove a separate Mercedes to conduct a special tyre test for Pirelli. Bottas finished just ahead of Russel, in 3rd, with a 1:18.732.

    Verstappen, one of the other current F1 drivers to stay behind at Hungaroring for the test, had issues with his Red Bull during most of the day, including an engine problem that left him in the garage for quite a long time. He finished down in 11th and only completed 58 laps.

    Stoffel Vandoorne finished 2nd fastest of the day with a 1:17.834 but the day didn't come without a McLaren technical issue. His car stopped on track during the session and caused Red Flags.

    Force India split driving duties between one of their test/reserve drivers, Nikita Mazepin. He drove the car during the 4-Hour AM session, before Lucas Auer, a DTM driver for Mercedes, took over for the 4-Hour PM session. Mazepin finished the session in 6th and Auer, a bit further down in 9th.

    Other drivers taking part in Tuesday's running were Lance Stroll, Nicholas Latifi (F2), Sean Gelael (F2), Santino Ferrucci (F2 & GP3) and Gustav Malja (F2).

TIMES:

1. Charles Leclerc - 1:17.746 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Monaco / 98 Laps

2. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:17.834 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium / 71 Laps

3. Valtteri Bottas - 1:18.732 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / 155 Laps (T)

4. George Russell - 1:19.231 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / 119 Laps

5. Lance Stroll - 1:19.866 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / 137 Laps

6. Nikita Mazepin (AM) - 1:19.910 / Force India-Mercedes / Russia / 52 Laps

7. Nicholas Latifi - 1:20.302 / Renault-Renault / Canada / 53 Laps

8. Sean Gelael - 1:20.341 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Indonesia / 100 Laps

9. Lucas Auer (PM) - 1:20.563 / Force India-Mercedes / Austria / 53 Laps

10. Santino Ferrucci - 1:21.185 / Haas-Ferrari / USA / 101 Laps

11. Max Verstappen - 1:21.228 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / 58 Laps

12. Gustav Malja - 1:21.503 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / 108 Laps

(T) - Bottas running for Pirelli test only

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In-Season Test #2 - Day #1 - Line-Up

IN-SEASON TEST #2 - DAY #1 - LINE-UP

Mercedes-Mercedes: George Russell / Valtteri Bottas (T)

Ferrari-Ferrari: Charles Leclerc

Red Bull-TAG-Heuer: Max Verstappen

Williams-Mercedes: Lance Stroll

Renault-Renault: Nicholas Latifi

McLaren-Honda: Stoffel Vandoorne

Toro Rosso-Renault: Sean Gelael

Force India-Mercedes: Nikita Mazepin (AM) / Lucas Auer (PM)*

Sauber-Ferrari: Gustav Malja

Haas-Ferrari: Santino Ferrucci

* - Notes drivers are sharing testing duties
(T) - Bottas running for Pirelli test only

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In-Season Test #1 - Day #2 - Re-Cap & Times

IN-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas topped the second day of testing in Bahrain.

    The Finn put in 143 laps in an effort to better understand the tyres, something the team could have done with before last weekend’s race. Mercedes were also testing new aero pieces to combat Ferrari’s boost in performance. Bottas did briefly stop on track early in the afternoon with a mechanical problem, but managed to get the Mercedes going again.

    Sebastian Vettel was behind the wheel for Ferrari, but the German didn’t get half as many laps as Bottas. The team found a hydraulic leak whilst changing the setting’s, forcing Vettel to remain in the pits for the majority of the morning session. A data problem in the afternoon did briefly disturb 
Ferrari’s running, but Vettel eventually managed 64 laps and the second best time.

    One team that didn’t face any problems today was McLaren. After a disastrous weekend in Bahrain and more problems yesterday, it was smooth running for Stoffel Vandoorne. The Belgian completed 81 laps – more laps than a race distance – and set the fourth fastest time overall, just two tenths of a second slower than Sainz in third.

    Haas spent their day evaluating new brakes. The problem has plagued the team since the later part of last season, and they’re keen to keep up the pace they’ve shown. Kevin Magnussen set the fifth fastest time, ahead of Daniil Kvyat, who ran the Toro Rosso in the morning session.

    Williams, Renault, and Red Bull all ran test drivers. Williams’ Gary Paffett, who returned to the track for the first time since 2013, set the eighth fastest time ahead of Renault’s Sergey Sirotkin and Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly.

    Pascal Wehrlein made up for lost time by getting into his Sauber and completing over 90 laps throughout the day, setting the 11th fastest time ahead of Force India’s Sergio Perez.

TIMES:

1. Valtteri Bottas - 1:31.280 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / 143 Laps

2. Sebastian Vettel - 1:31.574 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Italy / 64 Laps

3. Carlos Sainz (PM) – 1:31.884 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / 68 Laps

4. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:32.108 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium / 81 Laps

5. Kevin Magnussen - 1:32.120 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / 88 Laps

6. Esteban Ocon (AM) - 1:32.142 / Force India-Mercedes / France / 60 Laps

7. Daniil Kvyat (AM) – 1:32.213 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia / 61 Laps

8. Gary Paffett - 1:32.253 / Williams-Mercedes / Great Britain / 126 Laps 

9. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:32.287 / Renault-Renault / Russia  / 90 Laps

10. Pierre Gasly - 1:32.568 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / France / 65 Laps

11. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:34.462 / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany / 91 Laps

12. Sergio Perez (PM) – 1:35.015 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / 70 Laps

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring

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In-Season Test #1 - Day #2 - Line-Up

IN-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #2 - LINE-UP

Mercedes-Mercedes: Valtteri Bottas

Ferrari-Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel

Red Bull-TAG-Heuer: Pierre Gasly

Williams-Mercedes: Gary Paffett

Renault-Renault: Sergey Sirotkin

McLaren-Honda: Stoffel Vandoorne

Toro Rosso-Renault: Daniil Kvyat (AM) / Carlos Sainz (PM)

Force India-Mercedes: Esteban Ocon (AM) / Sergio Perez (PM)*

Sauber-Ferrari: Pascal Wehrlein

Haas-Ferrari: Kevin Magnussen 

* - Notes drivers are sharing testing duties

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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Pre-Season Test #2 - Day #4 - Re-Cap & Times

PRE-SEASON TEST #2 - DAY #4 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Kimi Raikkonen topped the times on a red flag ridden final day of testing. A number of teams, including Ferrari suffered mechanical problems as the teams headed onto the track for the last time before Melbourne.

    As has become the norm, the early part of the session was where most of the fastest lap times came. Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg, and Max Verstappen each topped the times at points, but nobody was able to beat the 1:18.634 Raikkonen was able to set.

    The first red flag of the day came an hour and a half into the first session, when Romain Grosjean ran into the gravel at turn 5. It wouldn’t be the last time the Haas driver ran into trouble. He stopped on the back straight just before the lunch break, bringing out the red flag again.

    Unsurprisingly, the Honda powered McLaren fell into trouble again. Fernando Alonso had completed less than 20 laps when he stopped on track due to the same electrical issue that had caused problems for Stoffel Vandoorne yesterday, even though the team had changed parts of the power unit and chassis overnight. Alonso did manage to get back out before the end of the session, only to stop almost immediately.

    The team seemed to clear up the problem by the afternoon, as Alonso was able to get back out. He managed to complete 43 laps before the end of the day.

    McLaren weren’t the only driver to have limited morning running. Max Verstappen in the Red Bull hadn’t been out much after his pitch for the top spot early in the session. That was because Red Bull were fixing a turbo issue on the car, but the teenager was still able to get out in the afternoon. By that point, though, he’d already set the second fastest time of the day and Red Bull’s fastest time of the test.

    Anybody watching the timing screens would have had a less exciting afternoon, as many of the teams began race simulations again, but the simulations were disturbed by red flags. None from McLaren this time though.

    Raikkonen was the first to bring out the red flag in the afternoon. The Ferrari was on a race simulation when it suffered a problem. Raikkonen moved onto the unused part of the circuit to try and return to the pits, only to lock the rear wheels and spin at the unused chicane.

    Carlos Sainz was the culprit for the sixth and final red flag of the day as he stopped on the start finish straight after setting the third fastest time earlier in the day.

    Mercedes had a quiet day, with their two drivers finishing fourth and fifth by the end of the day with just over 100 laps between them, but the German team still heads to Australia favourites.

TIMES:

1. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:18.634 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 110 Laps
2. Max Verstappen - 1:19.438 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / 70 Laps
3. Carlos Sainz - 1:19.837 / Toro Rosso-Renault / 131 Laps
4. Valtteri Bottas (AM) - 1:19.845 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 53 Laps
5. Lewis Hamilton (PM) - 1:19.850 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 53 Laps
6. Nico Hulkenberg (AM) - 1:19.885 / Renault-Renault / 45 Laps
7. Sergio Perez - 1:20.116 / Force India-Mercedes / 138 Laps
8. Jolyon Palmer (PM) – 1:20.205 / Renault-Renault / 43 Laps
9. Lance Stroll - 1:20.335 / Williams-Mercedes / 132 Laps
10. Romain Grosjean - 1:21.110 / Haas-Ferrari / 76 Laps
11. Fernando Alonso - 1:21.389 / McLaren-Honda / 43 Laps
12. Marcus Ericsson (AM) - 1:21.670 / Sauber-Ferrari / 59 Laps
13. Pascal Wehrlein (PM) - 1:23.527 / Sauber-Ferrari / 42 Laps

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Pre-Season Test #2 - Day #4 - Line-Up

PRE-SEASON TEST #2 - DAY #4 - LINE-UP

Mercedes-Mercedes: Valtteri Bottas (AM) / Lewis Hamilton (PM)*

Ferrari-Ferrari: Kimi Raikkonen

Red Bull-TAG-HEUER: Max Verstappen

Williams-Mercedes: Lance Stroll

Renault-Renault: Nico Hulkenberg (AM) / Jolyon Palmer (PM)*

McLaren-Honda: Fernando Alonso

Toro Rosso-Renault: Carlos Sainz

Force India-Mercedes: Sergio Perez

Sauber-Ferrari: Marcus Ericsson (AM) / Pascal Wehrlein (PM)*

Haas-Ferrari: Romain Grosjean

* - Notes drivers are sharing testing duties

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Posted By: Amy Hawk

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Pre-Season Test #2 - Day #3 - Line-Up

PRE-SEASON TEST #2 - DAY #3 - LINE-UP

Mercedes-Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton (AM) / Valtteri Bottas (PM)*

Ferrari-Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel

Red Bull-TAG-Heuer: Daniel Ricciardo

Williams-Mercedes: Lance Stroll (AM) / Felipe Massa (PM)*

Renault-Renault: Jolyon Palmer

McLaren-Honda: Stoffel Vandoorne

Toro Rosso-Renault: Daniil Kvyat

Force India-Mercedes: Esteban Ocon

Sauber-Ferrari: Marcus Ericsson (AM) / Pascal Wehrlein (PM)*

Haas-Ferrari: Kevin Magnussen

* - Notes drivers are sharing testing duties

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Pre-Season Test #2 - Day #2 - Re-Cap & Times

PRE-SEASON TEST #2 - DAY #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Mercedes’ biggest rivals, Ferrari and Red Bull, battled problems on the second day of the second preseason test, whilst Valtteri Bottas topped the times.

    Bottas set the bar high early in the day, leaving the pits at the start of the morning session to run fast laps, but he still had to fend off Williams’ Felipe Massa, Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen as they both set times to challenge the Finn’s. He eventually ended the spat top with a time of 1:19.310, which wouldn’t be beaten through the rest of the day, though Massa did come close.

    Noticeable for their absence from the battle were Ferrari. Kimi Raikkonen had been out early on in the session, but spent two hours in the pits as the team conducted fluid system checks. Raikkonen did managed to get back out before the end of the session.

    Red Bull were also having problems. Verstappen was granted an extended lunch break as the team changed his Renault engine. Four hours later, he managed to get back on track and began a race simulation. Two laps before the end of the simulation, Verstappen stopped in the run off at turn 12, the same problem the team had seen in the morning reoccurring.

    Raikkonen’s off was a little more spectacular. The Finn span at the exit to turn three and hit the barrier. The Ferrari was left with a damaged front wing and left front suspension, bringing an end to the team’s day, but that wasn’t before Raikkonen managed to set the third fastest time of the day.

    The afternoon session mainly saw team’s focus on longer stints, with Hamilton completing 20 laps on ultrasoft tyres. One team that didn’t put too many laps in were McLaren. Though there were no obvious problems for the team for most of the day, the team still conducted less laps than any other.

TIMES:

1. Valtteri Bottas (AM) - 1:19.310 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 70 Laps
2. Felipe Massa (AM) - 1:19.420 / Williams-Mercedes / 63 Laps
3. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:20.406 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 53 Laps 
4. Max Verstappen - 1:20.432 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / 102 Laps
5. Lance Stroll (PM) – 1:20.579 / Williams-Mercedes / 59 Laps
6. Lewis Hamilton (PM) - 1:20.702 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 79 Laps
7. Nico Hulkenberg (AM) - 1:21.213 / Renault-Renault / 61 Laps
8. Sergio Perez  - 1:21.297 / Force India-Mercedes / 100 Laps
9. Carlos Sainz - 1:21.872 / Toro Rosso-Renault / 92 Laps
10. Romain Grosjean - 1:21.887 / Haas-Ferrari / 96 Laps
11. Pascal Wehrlein (AM) - 1:23.000 / Sauber-Ferrari / 59 Laps
12. Fernando Alonso - 1:23.041 / McLaren-Honda / 46 Laps
13. Marcus Ericsson (PM) - 1:23.384 / Sauber-Ferrari / 46 Laps
14. Jolyon Palmer (PM) - 1:24.774 / Renault-Renault / 29 Laps

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
No copyright infringement intended
Follow us on Twitter @Bethonie_Boost & @F1Insider78