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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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

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Written 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

    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

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Force India Unveil 2018 Livery

(Image credit to: Sahara Force India F1 Team)

    Force India may have left it late to unveil its 2018 Formula 1 car, but fans will have to wait even longer to see the VJM11 that will line up on the grid for the Australian Grand Prix.

    The team has opted to run a ‘launch specification’ at preseason testing, an updated version of the 2017 machine. This will give the aerodynamics team more time to develop the car.

    “Looking at the VJM11, the DNA of the car is still very much that of last year’s car,” said technical director Andrew Green.

    “We took the decision, quite a while ago, that the launch specification of thee 2018 car would be based around our understanding of the 2017 car, but with all the new structures required by the regulations in place.

    It is a starting point, a good reference from which to introduce changes quite quickly; it gives our aerodynamics department more time to develop a car for the first race in Australia, rather than having to release parts early for testing.”

    The car may be an ‘evolution’ of its predecessor, but Force India was forced to redesign the chassis in order to incorporate the halo head protection device, a huge expense to the independent team.

    Though the new chassis passed the crash test  on the first time of asking, the squad is still developing the car to try to neutralize the impact the halo has on the aerodynamics.

    “We have the opportunity to apply some cladding around parts of the structure to try and mitigate the losses, but it’s still a very difficult structure to make aerodynamically neutral,” said Green.

    “At the moment, it has a negative effect, but we are in the process of minimizing its impact and hopefully we will get it down to zero in the near future. It’s one of the challenges we are dealing with at the moment – it is not a massive one but it is something we would rather not have from an aero perspective. It’s the same for everyone, however, and you will not see a final solution until we get to Melbourne.”

    Despite the challenges, Force India is aiming high this season. After two consecutive fourth place finishes in the constructors’ championship, team boss Vijay Mallya is confident the team can continue the strong performances.

    “Everybody keeps telling me that it will be difficult to repeat the double fourth place, but there is no reason why we cannot consolidate our position and improve.

    Yes Formula 1 is a very tough and competitive environment, but we are an established team with continuity in all areas of the company. We don’t take anything for granted but we will be disappointed if we are not fighting for points at every race this year.”

    The team will once again run a pink livery, with sponsor BWT remaining on-board for a second season.

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Photo rights belong to Sahara Force India F1 Team
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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

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Written By: Amy Hawk

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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

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Toro Rosso Reveal 2018 Car

(Image credit to: Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda)

    Toro Rosso has revealed its first Honda powered car ahead of preseason testing for the 2018 Formula 1 championship.

    The team stuck with a similar livery to that of last season, but a lot has changed at Toro Rosso from the start of 2017.

    Not only does the team have two rookie drivers and a new engine partner, but areas of the chassis have been completely redesigned after a year learning the new technical regulations.

    “There were several challenges but none that were by nature unfamiliar to us at Toro Rosso,” explained technical director James Key.

    “The most obvious is that we have had a change of engine partner and there were also a few minor regulation changes on the aero side, a few clarifications on suspension and so on, which all had an effect on how we approached these areas.

    Fundamentally, it’s been a case of adapting what you know to the regulations as they came out, which is pretty much the normal process from one year to the next.”

    He added that incorporating the halo, which is mandatory for all teams in 2018, was a big challenge, a statement echoed by other teams.

    As the new Honda works team, Toro Rosso will undoubtedly be under more scrutiny than ever before this season. The team has admitted this year will be a building period, but team principal Franz Tost is optimistic about the partnership.

    “The cooperation with Honda is important to us, as it is the first time in the history of Toro Rosso that we are working in a partnership together with a car manufacturer,” he said.

    “It changes a lot, and it was very satisfying to see our engineers and our concept group sitting together with the Honda people, suggesting ways to improve the packaging in the chassis and so on.

    Honda has a great reputation around the world, and specifically in motorsport with a long and very successful racing history. We have established a close relationship and they have made big steps forward.”

    Honda has struggled since returning to Formula 1 in 2015, but the team hopes to be competitive by the end of the season.

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Photo rights belong to Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda
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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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Written By: Amy Hawk

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Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 & @bethonieboost