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

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

Testing Location: Hungaroring - Mogyorod, Hungary

    George Russell was the quickest of the testing-group on day 2 at the Hungaroring. Russell, who is leading the FIA Formula 2 championship, finished the day in 1st with a 1:15.575. The young British driver also collected 116 laps for the Mercedes AMG F1 team.

    Antonio Giovinazzi, who took the Ferrari to the top on day 1, switched over to Sauber for day 2. The Italian finished in 4th with a 1:17.558 and 120 laps. Giovinazzi has been linked to a full-time Sauber seat in 2019, but nothing has been made official just yet.

    Force India chose to run their other test driver after Latifi drove on the previous day. This time around it was Nikita Mazepin, who currently competes in GP3. Mazepin stopped on track twice during the session with mechanical issues, resulting in Red Flags both times. Despite this, Mazepin finished in 5th with a 1:17.748. He also completed 51 laps.

    Toro Rosso ran two cars again as they did on Tuesday. Sean Gelael was in the main car and finished in 9th with a 1:19.046, ahead of Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley who both drove the other car in order to complete testing for Pirelli. 

    British driver, Jake Dennis, who currently competes in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, was in the Red Bull for the day, taking over from Daniel Ricciardo who drove the previous day. Dennis, 23, finished up in 3rd for the Austrian team. His final time was a 1:17.012. He also racked up a whopping 131 laps, the same amount as Raikkonen, who was behind the wheel of the Ferrari.

    Lando Norris was once again in the McLaren, while Williams opted to run former F1 driver, Robert Kubica. Kubica was 6th at the end of the session, putting in a 1:18.451 and completed 103 laps.

    Formula 2 RUSSIAN TIME driver, Artem Markelov, ran for Renault. He finished in 8th with a 1:18.496 and racked up 108 laps.

TIMES:

1. George Russell - 1:15.575 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / 116 Laps

2. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:15.649 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / 131 Laps

3. Jake Dennis - 1:17.012 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Great Britain / 131 Laps

4. Antonio Giovinazzi - 1:17.558 / Sauber-Ferrari / Italy / 120 Laps

5. Nikita Mazepin - 1:17.748 / Force India-Mercedes / Russia / 51 Laps

6. Robert Kubica - 1:18.451 / Williams-Mercedes / Poland / 103 Laps

7. Lando Norris - 1:18.472 / McLaren-Renault / Great Britain / 73 Laps

8. Artem Markelov - 1:18.496 / Renault-Renault / Russia / 108 Laps

9. Sean Gelael - 1:19.046 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / Indonesia / 122 Laps

10. Pierre Gasly - 1:19.790 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France / 75 Laps*

11. Brendon Hartley - 1:20.221 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand / 67 Laps*

* - Notes Gasly and Hartley were testing for Pirelli's 2019 programme

NOTE: Haas has chosen not to participate in this test

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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

Test Location: Hungaroring - Mogyorod, Hungary

    Day 1 of testing at the Hungaroring proved to be tricky with rain coming and going. However, it didn't seem to phase Antonio Giovinazzi, who took the Ferrari to the top spot with a fastest time of 1:15.648.

    Giovinazzi wasn't the only one out on track who does not currently have a full-time seat in the sport. Rowland, Norris, Russell, Latifi and Gelael all took part in the first day of testing as well.

    Toro Rosso ran two cars, with Brendon Hartley running the main car. Sean Gelael ran the other car in order to gather information for Pirelli's tyre test. Gelael, however had a heavy crash near Turn 11, causing red flags. Gelael wasn't injured, but that ending his running for the day. He racked up a total of 109 laps.

    Hartley ended the session in third with a 1:19.251 and a total of 126 laps. In total, Toro Rosso had a combined 135 laps at the end of the day.

    Lando Norris, in the McLaren was 4th fastest, just behind Hartley and Ericsson, who finished second for Sauber. Norris, who is poised to join McLaren next year, either partnering Alonso or Vandoorne, set a fastest time of 1:19.294 and did a total of 107 laps.

    Oliver Rowland, who finished 3rd in the 2017 FIA Formula 2 championship, drove for Williams for the day, gathering 65 laps and setting the 9th quickest time on the board with a 1:20.970. He finished ahead of Sean Gelael.

    George Russell, who is currently competing in Formula 2 and leading the championship, ran for Mercedes and was 5th fastest, just behind Norris, who is second in the Formula 2 championship standings. Russell completed 49 laps and set a fastest time of 1:19.781.

    Despite entering administration, Force India was still able to participate in testing and chose to run Nicholas Latifi, a current Canadian Formula 2 driver for DAMS. Latifi is also one of Force India's test drivers, alongside Nikita Mazepin, who drives in GP3 for ART Grand Prix. Latifi placed the seventh quickest time, a 1:19.994. He also completed 103 laps.

TIMES: 

1. Antonio Giovinazzi - 1:15.648 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Italy / 96 Laps

2. Marcus Ericsson - 1:18.155 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / 95 Laps

3. Brendon Hartley - 1:19.251 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand / 126 Laps

4. Lando Norris - 1:19.294 / McLaren-Renault / Great Britain / 107 Laps

5. George Russell - 1:19.781 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / 49 Laps

6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:19.854 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia / 125 Laps

7. Nicholas Latifi - 1:19.994 / Force India-Mercedes / Canada / 103 Laps

8. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:20.826 / Renault-Renault / Germany / 63 Laps

9. Oliver Rowland - 1:20.970 / Williams-Mercedes / Great Britain / 65 Laps

10. Sean Gelael - 1:21.451 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / Indonesia / 109 Laps*

* - Notes Gelael was testing for Pirelli's 2019 programme

NOTE: Haas has chosen not to participate in this test

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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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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 #2 - Day #4 - RE-CAP & TIMES

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

    The last day of pre-season testing saw Kimi Raikkonen secure the fastest time of the session. The Ferrari driver, having fully recovered after suffering from illness a few days prior, put in a 1:17.221 and completed a total of 157 laps.

    Close behind was Fernando Alonso with a 1:17.784. McLaren had more mechanical issues in the morning part of the session, but Alonso was able to round up 93 laps and and hold on to that second quickest time.

    Sainz rounded up the top 3 with an impressive 1:18.092 in the Renault, while Daniel Ricciardo and Romain Grosjean completed the top 5.

    Charles Leclerc, running in the Sauber, finished 9th with a 1:19.118 but had a small incident in which he slid off track and hit the barriers near Turn 11. However, he still completed 75 laps during the session. The next time he gets in the car will be for the first free practice session of the first F1 weekend of 2018.

TIMES:

1. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:17.221 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 157 Laps

2. Fernando Alonso - 1:17.784 / McLaren-Renault / 93 Laps

3. Carlos Sainz - 1:18.092 / Renault-Renault / 45 Laps

4. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:18.327 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / 92 Laps

5. Romain Grosjean - 1:18.412 / Haas-Ferrari / 181 Laps

6. Valtteri Bottas (PM) - 1:18.825 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 104 Laps

7. Brendon Hartley - 1:18.949 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / 156 Laps

8. Esteban Ocon - 1:18.967 / Force India-Mercedes / 163 Laps

9. Charles Leclerc - 1:19.118 / Sauber-Ferrari / 75 Laps

10. Sergey Sirotkin (AM) - 1:19.189 / Williams-Mercedes / 105 Laps

11. Lewis Hamilton (AM) - 1:19.464 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 97 Laps

12. Lance Stroll (PM) - 1:19.954 / Williams-Mercedes / 27 Laps

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Pre-Season Test #2 - Day #4 - LINE-UP

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

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

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

FERRARI-FERRARI: Kimi Raikkonen

RED BULL RACING-TAG-HEUER: Daniel Ricciardo

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

FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES: Esteban Ocon

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

SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO-HONDA: Brendon Hartley

HAAS-FERRARI: Romain Grosjean 
McLAREN-RENAULT: Fernando Alonso 

SAUBER-FERRARI: Charles Leclerc

*Subject to change

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Pre-Season Test #2 - Day #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

PRE-SEASON TEST #2 - DAY #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    The third day of testing saw Sebastian Vettel climb to the top of the time-sheets with an impressive 1:17.182 and also a total of 188 laps. 

    The top three all completed over 100 laps. Second fastest, Kevin Magnussen, in the Haas, completed 153 while Pierre Gasly, entering his first full year of Formula 1 with Toro Rosso, did a total of 169 laps.

    Stoffel Vandoorne finished just outside the top 5 for McLaren with a 1:18.855 and gathered a total of 151 laps.

    The two Mercedes drivers were also not in the top 5 this time around. Lewis Hamilton, who drove in the afternoon portion of the day, finished in 8th with a 1:19.296, just ahead of his team-mate. Bottas, who drove in the morning was close behind in 9th with a 1:19.532.

    Renault saw both drivers finish higher up in the times than Mercedes. Sainz and Hulkenberg, who were also splitting driving duties for the day, finished in the top 5. Hulkenberg did a total of 79 laps and completed a fastest time of 1:18.675 while Sainz did a 1:18.725 and racked up 69 laps for the team.

    Friday is the last day of Pre-Season testing ahead of the season opener in Melbourne, Australia.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:17.182 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 188 Laps

2. Kevin Magnussen - 1:18.360 / Haas-Ferrari / 153 Laps

3. Pierre Gasly - 1:18.363 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / 169 Laps

4. Nico Hulkenberg (AM) - 1:18.675 / Renault-Renault / 79 Laps

5. Carlos Sainz (PM) - 1:18.725 / Renault-Renault / 69 Laps

6. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:18.855 / McLaren-Renault / 151 Laps

7. Marcus Ericsson - 1:19.244 / Sauber-Ferrari / 148 Laps

8. Lewis Hamilton (PM) - 1:19.296 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 84 Laps

9. Valtteri Bottas (AM) - 1:19.532 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 97 Laps

10. Robert Kubica (AM) - 1:19.629 / Williams-Mercedes / 73 Laps

11. Sergio Perez - 1:19.634 / Force India-Mercedes / 159 Laps

12. Max Verstappen - 1:19.842 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / 187 Laps

13. Lance Stroll (PM) - 1:20.262 / Williams-Mercedes / 67 Laps

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Pre-Season Test #2 - Day #3 - LINE-UP

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

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

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

FERRARI-FERRARI: Sebastian Vettel

RED BULL RACING-TAG-HEUER: Max Verstappen 

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

FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES: Sergio Perez

WILLIAMS-MERCEDES: Robert Kubica (AM) / Lance Stroll (PM)

SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO-HONDA: Pierre Gasly

HAAS-FERRARI: Kevin Magnussen
McLAREN-RENAULT: Stoffel Vandoorne

SAUBER-FERRARI: Marcus Ericsson 

*Subject to change

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Pre-Season Test #2 - Day #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

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

    The second day of the final pre-season test ended with Ricciardo and both Mercedes drivers at the top of the time-sheets.

    Daniel Ricciardo, who lapped up 165 laps, set the fastest time of the day: a 1:18.047.

    Lewis Hamilton who drove in the AM was close behind with a 1:18.400. Team-mate, Bottas, who took over for the afternoon session, followed in third with a 1:18.560. Between the two, they racked up a total of 175 laps for the day.

    Rookie, Charles Leclerc, got nearly that many laps by himself. The newly-signed Sauber driver did 160 laps over the course of the day before a small slide sent him off-track and ended his run.

    Another driver having a great time with their car was Brendon Hartley, who finished in 5th with a 1:19.823 and gathered 119 laps for the Italian team.

    Ferrari ended up having to recruit Vettel back to the car for the morning's running after Kimi Raikkonen reported feeling too ill to drive, suffering from was said to be food poisoning. However, Raikkonen recovered enough to track 49 laps later in the day. Vettel finished 4th fastest with a 1:19.541. Raikkonen was further down in 9th with a 1:20.242.

    Fernando Alonso who took the wheel of the McLaren for day 2, ended up not getting a full day of running due to an oil leak. He sat on the sidelines while McLaren changed the engine in the car. He barely made it out before the end of the session and was able to get the 6th fastest time and rack up 57 laps.

    Thursday and Friday will mark the final 2 days of pre-season testing.

TIMES:

1. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:18.047 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / 165 Laps

2. Lewis Hamilton (AM) - 1:18.400 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 90 Laps

3. Valtteri Bottas (PM) - 1:18.560 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 85 Laps

4. Sebastian Vettel (AM) - 1:19.541 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 66 Laps

5. Brendon Hartley - 1:19.856 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / 119 Laps

6. Fernando Alonso - 1:19.856 / McLaren-Renault / 57 Laps

7. Carlos Sainz (AM) - 1:20.042 / Renault-Renault / 88 Laps

8. Romain Grosjean - 1:20.237 / Haas-Ferrari / 78 Laps

9. Kimi Raikkonen (PM) - 1:20.242 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 49 Laps

10. Lance Stroll (AM) - 1:20.349 / Williams-Mercedes / 63 Laps

11. Nico Hulkenberg (PM) - 1:20.758 / Renault-Renault / 102 Laps

12. Esteban Ocon - 1:20.805 / Force India-Mercedes / 130 Laps

13. Charles Leclerc - 1:20.919 / Sauber-Ferrari / 160 Laps

14. Sergey Sirotkin (PM) - 1:22.350 / Williams-Mercedes / 80 Laps

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Pre-Season Test #2 - Day #2 - LINE-UP

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

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

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

FERRARI-FERRARI: Sebastian Vettel

RED BULL RACING-TAG-HEUER: Daniel Ricciardo 

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

FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES: Esteban Ocon

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

SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO-HONDA: Brendon Hartley

HAAS-FERRARI: Romain Grosjean 

McLAREN-RENAULT: Fernando Alonso 

SAUBER-FERRARI: Charles Leclerc

*Subject to change

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

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

    Sebastian Vettel topped the times in the first day of the second preseason test at Barcelona.

    The Ferrari driver set his fastest time of the day with medium tyres in the morning session, his 1m20.396s lap two tenths of a second faster than Valtteri Bottas, who led for most of the morning.

    McLaren’s misery continued as Stoffel Vandoorne came to a stop due to a power shut down just one hour into the morning, bringing out the first red flag of the week.

    He spent most of the morning in the pits but managed a handful of laps just before the lunch break to take his lap count to seven.

    Hoping to make up for lost time, Vandoorne was the first man out I the afternoon and managed to triple his lap count before coming to a stop two hours  into the session with a similar problem.

    He managed a total of 38 laps over the course of the day and was 12th fastest from 13 drivers.

    McLaren wasn’t the only team with problems. Pierre Gasly spent most of the afternoon in the pits due to a brake system issue and Kevin Magnussen’s running was restricted due to a possible ERS component problem.

    A last minute driver change put Max Verstappen in the Red Bull to start the week. After a difficult week one, Red Bull seemed to be back in control, managing 130 laps – second only to Vettel’s 171 laps – and third fastest.

    Lewis Hamilton was the fastest man to only run in the afternoon. He finished fourth overall, ahead of Gasly and Magnussen.

    Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz took seventh and eighth, though Renault warned Sainz was aiming for a race distance in his session rather than lap time.

    The Williams’ duo were also sharing duties in the first day of the second test. Sergey Sirotkin, who was running in the faster morning session, finished ninth quickest, ahead of Sergio Perez and Marcus Ericsson.

    Lance Stroll took over for the afternoon, finishing at the bottom of the timings but with over 80 laps.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:20:396 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 171 Laps
2. Valtteri Bottas (AM) – 1:20.596 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 86 Laps
3. Max Verstappen – 1:20.649 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / 130 Laps
4. Lewis Hamilton (PM) – 1:20.808 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 91 Laps
5. Pierre Gasly – 1:20.973 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / 54 Laps
6. Kevin Magnussen - 1:21.298 / Haas-Ferrari / 96 Laps
7. Nico Hulkenberg (AM) – 1:21.432 / Renault-Renault / 48 Laps
8. Carlos Sainz (PM) - 1:21.455 / Renault-Renault / 91 Laps
9. Sergey Sirotkin (AM) – 1:21.588 / Williams-Mercedes / 42 Laps
10. Sergio Perez - 1:21.643 / Force India-Mercedes / 93 Laps
11. Marcus Ericsson – 1:21.706 / Sauber-Ferrari / 120 Laps
12. Stoffel Vandoorne – 1:21.946 / McLaren-Renault / 38 Laps
13. Lance Stroll (PM) – 1:22.937 / Williams-Mercedes / 86 Laps

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Pre-Season Test #2 - Day #1 - LINE-UP

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

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

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

FERRARI-FERRARI: Sebastian Vettel

RED BULL RACING-TAG-HEUER: Max Verstappen 

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

FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES: Sergio Perez 

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

SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO-HONDA: Pierre Gasly 

HAAS-FERRARI: Kevin Magnussen 

McLAREN-RENAULT: Stoffel Vandoorne

SAUBER-FERRARI: Marcus Ericsson

*Subject to change

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Pre-Season Test #1 - Day #4 - RE-CAP & TIMES

PRE-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #4 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton topped the times in the final day of the first pre-season test in Barcelona.

    The reigning Formula 1 champion had only completed 25 laps over the first three days of testing but good conditions allowed for all teams to make up for lost time in the final day.

    Hamilton, who took over from Valtteri Bottas for the afternoon session, immediately jumped to the sharp end of the field on medium tyres as the track continued to improve. He completed 69 laps and finished the day with a best time of 1m19.333s, half a second faster than Stoffel Vandoorne’s best time, set on the hyper soft compound of tyre.

    It was a strong day for McLaren. Despite wet conditions early in the day, Vandoorne was keen to make the most of the track time. The Belgian spent most of the morning swapping fastest times with Valtteri Bottas while also putting in some impressive mileage for the team. McLaren couldn’t quite make it to top of the times two days in a row, but Vandoorne held onto second.

    He completed 110 laps before handing the car to Fernando Alonso for the final few hours of the day. Alonso completed more than 50 laps to go fifth quickest, around a second slower than his young team-mate.

    Sebastian Vettel managed 120 laps, but couldn’t match the Mercedes in terms of speed. He finished the day third fastest, ahead of the Haas of Kevin Magnussen.

    At the other end of the chart, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen could only manage 35 laps.

    Since passing 100 laps in the first day of testing, Red Bull’s running has been limited this week. A fuel pump problem hampered the squad on Tuesday and there was little it could do to improve its lap count on Wednesday.

    The team’s bad luck continued into the final day. Verstappen spent most of the morning in the garage, setting his first timed lap three and a half hours into the session. The time did briefly put him top of the order, but he dropped down the standings as others found improvement.

    The 20-year-old had just switched to soft tyres and was setting personal bests when he ran into the gravel at turn 12 and brought out the red flags.

    It signaled the end of his running and he finished the day ninth fastest.

    Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll – both sharing duties with their team-mates – finished sixth and seventh quickest, ahead of Sergio Perez, who was making his first appearance in the new Force India.

    Pierre Gasly was only 10th quickest but topped the lap count chart with an impressive 147 laps.

    Nico Hulkenberg and Bottas finished 11th and 12th quickest after running at the top of the order in the damp morning session.

    Sauber duo Charles Leclerc and Marcus Ericsson claimed 13th and 14th, ahead of Sergey Sirotkin.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton (PM) – 1:19.333 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 69 Laps
2. Stoffel Vandoorne (AM) – 1:19.854 / McLaren-Renault / 110 Laps
3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:20:241 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 120 Laps
4. Kevin Magnussen - 1:20.317 / Haas-Ferrari / 96 Laps
5. Fernando Alonso (PM) – 1:20.929 / McLaren-Renault / 51 Laps
6. Carlos Sainz (PM) - 1:20.940 / Renault-Renault / 60 Laps
7. Lance Stroll (PM) – 1:21.142 / Williams-Mercedes / 54 Laps
8. Sergio Perez - 1:21.973 / Force India-Mercedes / 65 Laps
9. Max Verstappen – 1:22.058 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / 35 Laps
10. Pierre Gasly – 1:22.134 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / 147 Laps
11. Nico Hulkenberg (AM) – 1:22.507 / Renault-Renault / 49 Laps
12. Valtteri Bottas (AM) – 1:22.789 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 60 Laps
13. Charles Leclerc (PM) – 1:22.808 / Sauber-Ferrari / 59 Laps
14. Marcus Ericsson (AM) – 1:23.825 / Sauber-Ferrari / 79 Laps
15. Sergey Sirotkin (AM) – 1:31.979 / Williams-Mercedes / 47 Laps

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Pre-Season Test #1 - Day #4 - LINE-UP

PRE-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #4 - LINE-UP

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

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

FERRARI-FERRARI: Sebastian Vettel

RED BULL RACING-TAG-HEUER: Max Verstappen 

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

FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES: Sergio Perez 

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

SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO-HONDA: Pierre Gasly 

HAAS-FERRARI: Kevin Magnussen 

McLAREN-RENAULT: Stoffel Vandoorne (AM) / Fernando Alonso (PM)

SAUBER-FERRARI: Marcus Ericsson (AM) / Charles Leclerc (PM)

*Subject to change

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Written By: Amy Hawk

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Pre-Season Test #1 - Day #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

PRE-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    The third day of the first Winter test in Barcelona was not a very productive day due to snow fall being  on and around the circuit. Most drivers did not bother to head out to do a lap or set a time due to the conditions.

    The session was delayed due to safety reasons. The medical helicopter had poor visibility and was unable to take flight.

    Fernando Alonso was the only one to do more than 2 laps and was the sole driver to even set a time in the wet, snowy weather. Alonso completed a total of 11 laps and put in a 2:18.545 to put him 1st on the time-sheets. 

    Only 4 other drivers completed a lap or two but no one else went on to set a time.

TIMES:

1. Fernando Alonso - 2:18.545 / McLaren-Renault / 11 Laps
2. Daniel Ricciardo - No Time Set / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / 2 Laps
3. Brendon Hartley - No Time Set / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / 2 Laps
4. Marcus Ericsson - No Time Set / Sauber-Ferrari / 1 Lap
5. Robert Kubica (AM) - No Time Set / Williams-Mercedes / 1 Lap
6. Kimi Raikkonen - No Time Set / Ferrari-Ferrari / 0 Laps
7. Romain Grosjean - No Time Set / Haas-Ferrari / 0 Laps
8. Sergio Perez - No Time Set / Force India-Mercedes / 0 Laps
9. Lance Stroll (PM) - No Time Set / Williams-Mercedes / 0 Laps
10. Nico Hulkenberg (AM) - No Time Set / Renault-Renault / 0 Laps
11. Lewis Hamilton (AM) - No Time Set / Mercedes-Mercedes / 0 Laps
12. Carlos Sainz (PM) - No Time Set / Renault-Renault / 0 Laps
13. Valtteri Bottas (PM) - No Time Set / Mercedes-Mercedes / 0 Laps

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
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Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 & @bethonieboost