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Barcelona F1 test day one

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This typically no nonsense start to testing for Mercedes mirrors the attitude it took to its car launch last week - when it became the first squad to be brave enough to reveal a "proper" 2019 design, as Jake Boxall-Legge and Giorgio Piola explained:

Bottas comes past the line slowly this time around, so no further improvement. Although it's still only two seconds slower than his best, so he must have slowed on the run to the line, rather than all the way around the lap.
Bottas tours past us again, this time 10 seconds slower than his best so far today. He's already logged 10 laps this morning in the first 27 minutes of testing, despite a red flag delay for Raikkonen's off.
Grosjean trundles down the pitlane after completing an installation lap on intermediate tyres.
Hulkenberg joins the fun with a 1m33.861s on the yellow C3 tyres.
We like the C3 tyres, because yellow is the only colour in use at testing that only represents one type of compound. With the red and the white markings, we have to - at speed - try to spot if they also have coloured lines between the writing or not. We'll do our best...
In the pitlane, Motorsport Images' photographers have found the Racing Point ready to set off for its first appearance. The renamed team launched its livery last week, but kept its 2019 design hidden until today

In the pitlane, Motorsport Images' photographers have found the Racing Point ready to set off for its first appearance. The renamed team launched its livery last week, but kept its 2019 design hidden until today

Bottas is back in the pits, having completed 11 laps in the first half an hour of pre-season testing.
The only cars we've not seen on track already this morning are the Williams, which isn't running today, and the Racing Point.
Hulkenberg goes fastest with a 1m24.365s on C3 tyres.
Perez takes the Racing Point (or Racing Dot, if you've seen the team's new logo), for its first lap of 2019.
Hulkenberg is back in the pits now, having completed nine laps this morning already. Vettel is now on his eighth, and Bottas leads the way with 11.
Another look at the Racing Point as it leaves the garage for the first time

Another look at the Racing Point as it leaves the garage for the first time

Sainz heads back out in the McLaren, as does Raikkonen in the Alfa, returning to the track after causing the first red flag of the morning earlier.
Raikkonen is also on the yellow-marked tyres, so we have to thank McLaren and Alfa Romeo for listening to our pleas for everyone to run the easiest-to-identify tyre compound. Raikkonen's first timed lap of the day is a 1m24.629s.
Raikkonen moves up to third with a 1m22.466s, kicking out plenty of sparks from the back of his Alfa Romeo as he crosses the line just a few seconds in front of former team-mate Vettel.
Raikkonen gains another place to move into second behind Vettel (who pits). 1m21.566s for the ex-Ferrari driver in the Alfa Romeo, and he starts the following lap with a best time overall in the first sector.
Raikkonen follows up his fastest overall first sector with two personal bests in the next two parts of the lap, and he crosses the line 0.025s slower than Vettel to stay second - just.
Raikkonen cruises past the pits slowly, while we've had Grosjean and Kvyat appearing for single laps at a time and coming straight back in, both on the white-marked C2 tyres.
The Alfa Romeo comes back to the pits, and the track falls silent for the first time since Raikkonen's off at Turn 5 brought out an early red flag.
Lap count:

Vettel 12
Bottas 11
Raikkonen 10
Sainz 10
Hulkenberg 9
Kvyat 4
Grosjean 3
Verstappen 1
Perez 1

By: Geoff Creighton

Published: