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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Posted By: Amy Hawk

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

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

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

Ferrari-Ferrari: Kimi Raikkonen

Red Bull-TAG-Heuer: Max Verstappen

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

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

McLaren-Honda: Fernando Alonso

Toro Rosso-Renault: Carlos Sainz

Force India-Mercedes: Sergio Perez

Sauber-Ferrari: Pascal Wehrlein (AM) / Marcus Ericsson (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 #1 - Re-Cap & Times

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

    It was Williams on top of the time sheets at the end of day 1 of the second pre-season test. Felipe massa set the fastest time of the day; a 1:19.726. Stroll was originally supposed to run in the car but the driver line-up was changed after Massa missed out on some running in the first test due to the team missing the 4th and final day due to chassis damage.

    McLaren faced more issues and another engine change, making it a rough day for Vandoorne, who was in charge of testing duties for the day. Despite the engine problems, he still managed 80 laps and the 10th fastest time. 

    McLaren wasn't the only team to have to replace an engine. Renault had problems with a faulty sensor and ended up needing to replace their engine as well. Palmer was behind the wheel in the AM session and then when Hulkenberg took over in the afternoon, the car stopped on track. Not a good start to testing for the team.

    Pascal Wehrlein was finally able to drive after missing the first test due to recovering from back and neck injuries sustained in the Race Of Champions, when his car flipped over. He split the day with Ericsson and both drivers racked up over 40 laps each.

    Mercedes had a few issues during running as well, when Hamilton confirmed the floor of the car was broken, which made getting quick times hard. Despite this, he still set the 4th fastest time, before Bottas took over in the afternoon and set the 5th fastest, just behind Hamilton. Together, they completed a total of 135 laps.

TIMES:

1. Felipe Massa - 1:19.726 / Williams-Mercedes / 168 Laps

2. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:19.900 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / 89 Laps

3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:19.906 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 168 Laps 

4. Lewis Hamilton (AM) - 1:20.456 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 49 Laps

5. Valtteri Bottas (PM) - 1:20.924 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 86 Laps

6. Esteban Ocon - 1:21.347 / Force India-Mercedes / 142 Laps

7. Nico Hulkenberg (PM) - 1:21.589 / Renault-Renault / 57 Laps

8. Kevin Magnussen - 1:21.676 / Haas-Ferrari / 81 Laps

9. Daniil Kvyat - 1:21.743 / Toro Rosso-Renault / 83 Laps

10. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:22.537 / McLaren-Honda / 80 Laps

11. Pascal Wehrlein (AM) - 1:23.336 / Sauber-Ferrari / 47 Laps

12. Marcus Ericsson (PM) - 1:23.630 / Sauber-Ferrari / 53 Laps

13. Jolyon Palmer - 1:24.790 / Renault-Renault / 15 Laps

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 & @Bethonie_Boost 

    

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

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

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

Ferrari-Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel

Red Bull-TAG-Heuer: Daniel Ricciardo

Williams-Mercedes: Felipe Massa 

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

McLaren-Honda: Stoffel Vandoorne

Toro Rosso-Renault: Daniil Kvyat

Force India-Mercedes: Esteban Ocon

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

Haas-Ferrari: Kevin Magnussen

* - Notes drivers are sharing testing duties

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Posted By: Amy Hawk

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Pre-Season Test #1 - Day #4 - Re-Cap & Times

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

    The last day of testing was quite an interesting one for the teams, as the circuit was artificially rained on by massive trucks. This was so the drivers could do a partial wet tyre test for Pirelli. The track was made wet in the morning and then a second time during the lunch break.

    Williams missed the last day of running due to chassis damage that happened during Lance Stroll's crash on the previous day. While the team was not about blaming Stroll, it still wasn't the best start to the pre-season for the Rookie.

    Mercedes missed most of the AM session due to an electrical issue. Lewis Hamilton opted out of running as there wasn't much time left before the lunch break and he felt he wouldn't be learning very much. Bottas got into the car for the PM session and managed 68 laps and the 8th quickest time on the board.

    Toro Rosso also encountered issues after Daniil Kvyat went out for his installation lap and never returned to the track. The team changed their engine but the day was over for them, meaning neither Kvyat or Sainz got to do any laps. It was a day of progress lost.

    As for McLaren, things were finally starting to turn around. Stoffel Vandoorne returned to the MCL32 and did a total of 66 laps and set the 7th quickest time with a 1:22.576, just slightly behind Perez's time in the Force India.

    It was Ferrari who ended the day on top, with Kimi Raikkonen setting the fastest time; a 1:20.872. The Fin also completed a total of 93 laps.

TIMES:

1. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:20.872 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 93 Laps

2. Max Verstappen - 1:21.769 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / 85 Laps

3. Jolyon Palmer (PM) - 1:21.778 / Renault-Renault / 39 Laps

4. Romain Grosjean - 1:22.309 / Haas-Ferrari / 118 Laps

5. Antonio Giovinazzi* - 1:22.401 / Sauber-Ferrari / 84 Laps

6. Sergio Perez - 1:22.534 / Force India-Mercedes / 82 Laps

7. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:22.576 / McLaren-Honda / 66 Laps

8. Valtteri Bottas - 1:23.443 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 68 Laps

9. Nico Hulkenberg (AM) - 1:24.974 / Renault-Renault / 51 Laps

10. Daniil Kvyat (AM) - No Time Set / Toro Rosso-Renault / 1 Lap

* - Notes Giovinazzi is filling in for Pascal Wehrlein

Note: Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton were scheduled to run but did not due to car issues.

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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Pre-Season Test #1 - Day #4 - Line-Up

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

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

Ferrari-Ferrari: Kimi Raikkonen

Red Bull-TAG-Heuer: Max Verstappen

Williams-Mercedes: NOT RUNNING***

Renault-Renault: Nico Hulkenberg

McLaren-Honda: Stoffel Vandoorne

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

Force India-Mercedes: Sergio Perez

Sauber-Ferrari: Antonio Giovinazzi**

Haas-Ferrari: Romain Grosjean

* - Notes drivers are sharing testing duties

** - Notes Antonio Giovinazzi is filling in for injured Pascal Wehrlein

*** - Williams not running due to chassis damage after Stroll's crash on Day 3

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Posted 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

    Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas topped the timings in the third day of preseason testing, setting a time 0.25s faster than Ferrari’s best of the day.

    Mercedes continued the test as they have the previous two days, splitting the duties with Bottas taking the morning session before Lewis Hamilton took over in the afternoon to complete race runs.

    Most of the teams spent the morning focusing on aero runs, trying to determine just what the wider tyres are doing to the airflow.

    The session was repeatedly stopped when driver mistakes brought out the red flag. The first stoppage was caused by Jolyon Palmer, when he ran his Renault into the gravel on an out lap.

    Just as the chequered flag fell for lunch, Williams’ Lance Stroll fell into trouble.

    Williams changed their driver line up for the day following Stroll’s incident in Tuesday’s session that saw the team miss out on almost an entire day’s worth of running.

    The rookie parked the car in the gravel. He appeared to be not completely confident in the car, trying to correct mistakes that the car can sort for itself.

    The “over driving” caused problems later in the day when he lost the rear of the car at the exit of turn five and span into the barrier, bringing out the red flag again and ending his running. The Canadian managed to get a few more laps in than he did on Tuesday, completing nearly 100 laps before his collision.

    McLaren had a stress free day. After engine problems caused them trouble on both of the previous day’s testing, the team will have been thankful they could complete their programme without any apparent signs of trouble. Though Fernando Alonso was rarely high on the timing screen, he did manage to complete a full 72 laps over the course of the day.

TIMES:

1. Valtteri Bottas (AM) - 1:19.705 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 75 Laps
2. Sebastian Vettel - 1:19.952 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 139 Laps
3. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:21.153 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / 70 Laps
4. Jolyon Palmer (AM) - 1:21.396 / Renault-Renault / 51 Laps
5. Nico Hulkenberg (PM) – 1:21.791 / Renault-Renault / 42 Laps
6. Marcus Ericsson - 1:21.824 / Sauber-Ferrari / 126 Laps
7. Lewis Hamilton (PM) - 1:22.090 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 95 Laps
8. Romain Grosjean - 1:22.118 / Haas-Ferrari / 56 Laps
9. Lance Stroll - 1:22.351 / Williams-Mercedes / 98 Laps
10. Fernando Alonso - 1:22.598 / McLaren-Honda / 72 Laps
11. Carlos Sainz (PM) - 1:23.540 / Toro Rosso-Renault / 32 Laps
12. Alfonso Celis - 1:23.568 / Force India-Mercedes / 71 Laps
13. Daniil Kvyat (AM) - 1:23.952 / Toro Rosso-Renault / 31 Laps

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Follow us on Twitter @Bethonie_Boost & @F1Insider78

Pre-Season Test #1 - Day #3 - Line-Up

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

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

Ferrari-Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel

Red Bull-TAG-Heuer: Daniel Ricciardo

Williams-Mercedes: Lance Stroll

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

McLaren-Honda: Fernando Alonso 

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

Force India-Mercedes: Alfonso Celis Jr.

Sauber-Ferrari: Marcus Ericsson

Haas-Ferrari: Romain Grosjean

* - Notes drivers are sharing testing duties

** - Notes Antonio Giovinazzi is filling in for injured Pascal Wehrlein

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk

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

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

    Day two of testing got off to another shaky start for McLaren, this time with rookie, Stoffel Vandoorne, behind the wheel. While Vandoorne was at no fault, it was another Honda engine problem, resulting in another engine change for the team, hampering their progress for the day.

    Antonio Giovinazzi got to take the Sauber out as he filled in for an injured Pascal Wehrlein, who is recovering after crashing during the annual Race Of Champions. He placed 9th in the final standings of the day - with a total of 67 laps. Giovinazzi missed most of the AM session while Sauber had some troubles with mechanical issues.

    Another rookie, Lance Stroll, only managed 12 laps before a spin caused a broken part that the team was unable to fix during the rest of the session. The spin caused a brief red flag before the session was able to resume.

    Esteban Ocon also faced issues when the Force India came to a smoking halt on track in the later part of the AM session. Despite this, Ocon was still 5th fastest at the end of the day with a 1:22.509. This was the second red flag of the day, the first being for Stroll, who spun

    It was Ferrari on top of the time sheets with Kimi Raikkonen taking that top spot with a 1:20.960. Hamilton was close behind after his stint in the morning session, before Bottas took over for the afternoon. Bottas had a mild collision into the barriers but was uninjured. However, it cost him getting into the top 5 times for the day.

TIMES:

1. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:20.960 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 108 Laps

2. Lewis Hamilton (AM) - 1:20.983 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 66 Laps

3. Max Verstappen - 1:22.200 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / 89 Laps

4. Kevin Magnussen - 1:22.204 / Haas-Ferrari / 118 Laps

5. Esteban Ocon - 1:22.509 / Force India-Mercedes / 86 Laps

6. Daniil Kvyat - 1:22.956 / Toro Rosso-Renault / 68 Laps

7. Valtteri Bottas (PM) - 1:22.986 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 101 Laps

8. Jolyon Palmer - 1:24.139 / Renault-Renault / 53 Laps

9. Antonio Giovinazzi* - 1:24.627 / Sauber-Ferrari / 66 Laps

10. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:25.600 / McLaren-Honda / 40 Laps

11. Lance Stroll - 1:26.040 / Williams-Mercedes / 12 Laps

* - Notes Giovinazzi is filling in for Pascal Wehrlein

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 & @Bethonie_Boost