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

----
Article Written By: Amy Hawk
No copyright infringement intended
Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 @bethonieboost

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

----

Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended

Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 & @bethonieboost 

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

----

Article Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended

Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 & @bethonieboost 

    

    

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

----

Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended

Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 & @bethonieboost 

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

----

Article Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended

Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 & @bethonieboost

    

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

----

Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended

Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 & @bethonieboost 

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

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

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

----

Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended

Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 & @bethonieboost 

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

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

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

----

Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended

Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 & @bethonieboost 

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

----
Article Written By: Amy Hawk
No copyright infringement intended
Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 & @bethonieboost

Pre-Season Test #1 - Day #3 - LINE-UP

PRE-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #3 - LINE-UP

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

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

FERRARI-FERRARI: Kimi Raikkonen

RED BULL RACING-TAG-HEUER: Daniel Ricciardo

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

FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES: Sergio Perez 

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

SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO-HONDA: Brendon Hartley 

HAAS-FERRARI: Romain Grosjean

McLAREN-RENAULT: Fernando Alonso

SAUBER-FERRARI: Marcus Ericsson

*Subject to change

----

Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended

Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 & @bethonieboost 

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

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

    Sebastian Vettel finished fastest in the second day of preseason testing at the Circuit de Catalunya.

    Low temperatures limited running across the field – especially in the morning session – but the Ferrari driver managed a total of 98 laps over the course of the day.

    Vettel enjoyed a quiet morning, but put in a series of strong laps at the start of the afternoon and jumped to the top of the timings, knocking off Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas in the process.

    A small spin at turn two brought out the red flag when he brought debris onto the track, but Vettel managed to get the Ferrari back to the pits without any help.

    He finished the day 0.3s faster than Bottas and Stoffel Vandoorne.

    The track was quiet for most of the morning, with only a handful of laps completed after the first hour.

    Things started to pick up just before midday when the track was at its warmest – with the lunch-break cancelled to allow for extra track time.

    That action was cut short when Charles Leclerc span at turn four and his Sauber was left stranded in the gravel. He spent the next two hours I the pits but eventually managed to get back out, ending the day 10th fastest, quicker only than the Haas of Kevin Magnussen.

    Max Verstappen’s running was hampered by a fuel leak early in the day. He made up for lost time when he did manage to get on track, ending the day fourth fastest with 67 laps.

    Carlos Sainz Jnr and Pierre Gasly took fifth and sixth.

    After limited running on the first day of testing, Sergey Sirotkin was back in the Williams in the morning session. The rookie put in a good number of laps considering the poor conditions before handing over to reserve driver Robert Kubica for the final three hours. The pair finished seventh and eighth quickest, with Kubica 0.327s faster than Sirotkin.

    Esteban Ocon finished ninth quickest in his first day of testing.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:19:673/ Ferrari-Ferrari / 98 Laps
2. Valtteri Bottas - 1:19.976 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 94 Laps
8. Stoffel Vandoorne – 1:20.325 / McLaren-Renault / 37 Laps
4. Max Verstappen – 1:20.326 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / 67 Laps
5. Carlos Sainz - 1:21.212 / Renault-Renault / 65 Laps
6. Pierre Gasly – 1:21.318 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / 82 Laps
7. Robert Kubica (PM) – 1:21.495 / Williams-Mercedes / 48 Laps
8. Sergey Sirotkin (AM) – 1:21.822 / Williams-Mercedes / 52 Laps
9. Esteban Ocon - 1:21.841 / Force India-Mercedes / 79 Laps
10. Charles Leclerc - 1:22.721 / Sauber-Ferrari / 81 Laps
11. Kevin Magnussen - 1:22.727 / Haas-Ferrari / 36 Laps

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

Pre-Season Test #1 - Day #2 - LINE-UP

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

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

MERCEDES-MERCEDES: Valtteri Bottas 

FERRARI-FERRARI: Sebastian Vettel

RED BULL RACING-TAG-HEUER: Max Verstappen

RENAULT-RENAULT: Carlos Sainz

FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES: Esteban Ocon

WILLIAMS-MERCEDES: Sergey Sirotkin (AM) / Robert Kubica (PM)

SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO-HONDA: Pierre Gasly 

HAAS-FERRARI: Kevin Magnussen

McLAREN-RENAULT: Stoffel Vandoorne 

SAUBER-FERRARI: Charles Leclerc 

*Subject to change

----

Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended

Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 & @bethonieboost 

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

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

    Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo topped the times in the first day of preseason testing ahead of the 2018 Formula 1 championship.

    Ricciardo set his fastest time of the day – a 1m20.179s – in the morning session, with cooler conditions limiting running after the lunch break.

    He managed a total of 105 laps over the two sessions, 12 laps more than the Honda powered Toro Rosso of Brendon Hartley who was second in the lap chart order.

    Valtteri Bottas was second quickest, followed by Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Hulkenberg.

    Honda claimed a small victory over previous partner McLaren. While Hartley spent the morning adding to his lap count, Fernando Alonso brought out the first red flag of the season.

    The right rear wheel of his McLaren had come off on just his sixth lap of the day, sending him into the gravel. A wheel nut problem was blamed for the incident and Alonso spent most of the morning in the pits.

    He eventually managed to put in a competitive lap time, ending the day seventh fastest and 0.02s faster than Hartley, but only managed 51 laps compared to the Honda’s 93.

    As a point of reference, the McLaren-Honda managed just over 200 laps over the course of the first preseason test of 2017.

    The second and final red flag of the day was brought out by Nikita Mazepin in the Force India. Mazepin span halfway through the morning session, beaching the VJM11 in the gravel at turn 4.

    It signaled the end of Mazepin’s day. The Force India was brought back to the pits but a brake cooling problem kept it there for longer than expected.

    With track temperature dropping by nearly 10 degrees over the lunch break, Force India opted not to send the car back out once the issue was resolved.

    Mazepin finished the day 12th fastest, five seconds off the pace.

   Renault’s Carlos Sainz Jnr was the fastest of those only running in the afternoon. He managed just 26 laps, a third of his team-mate’s total, and was 1.3s slower than Hulkenberg, but still managed fifth fastest.

    Lewis Hamilton, taking over from Bottas, was sixth quickest ahead of Alonso and Hartley.

    Sergey Sirotkin, the only rookie running in the first day of testing, took over from Lance Stroll for the afternoon session. He completed nearly 30 laps but didn’t set a competitive lap time in his first session as an F1 driver.

    Team-mate Stroll managed ninth fastest, ahead of Romain Grosjean and Marcus Ericsson.

TIMES:

1. Daniel Ricciardo – 1:20.179 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / 105 Laps
2. Valtteri Bottas (AM) - 1:20.349 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 58 Laps
3. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:20.506 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 80 Laps
4. Nico Hulkenberg (AM) - 1:20.547 / Renault-Renault / 73 Laps
5. Carlos Sainz (PM) - 1:22.168 / Renault-Renault / 26 Laps
6. Lewis Hamilton (PM) – 1:22.327 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 25 Laps
7. Fernando Alonso – 1:22.354 / McLaren-Renault / 51 Laps
8. Brendon Hartley – 1:22.371/ Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / 93 Laps
9. Lance Stroll (AM) – 1:22.452 / Williams-Mercedes / 46 Laps
10. Romain Grosjean - 1:22.578 / Haas-Ferrari / 55 Laps
11. Marcus Ericsson - 1:23.408 / Sauber-Ferrari / 63 Laps
12. Nikita Mazepin - 1:25.628 / Force India-Mercedes / 22 Laps
13. Sergey Sirotkin (PM) – 1:44.148 / Williams-Mercedes / 28 Laps

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

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

I

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

    Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton topped the timing screens on the first day of running in 2017, whilst Red Bull and McLaren suffered technical problems.

    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 @Bethonie_Boost & @F1Insider78