Barcelona F1 test day one
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Perez joins the fray in the Racing dot.
No improvement on Raikkonen's second lap, although he's only two tenths off. No improvement for Bottas or Sainz last time around either.
Drivers are pushing on this morning even at this exploratory stage - here's a recent lock-up by Hulkenberg
Sainz pits to end his short stint.
Verstappen's car has been rolled into its pitbox, he's had some cool air blown at him and now he's ready to fight the track and take second back from Raikkonen. Or is he?
Perez, Bottas and Raikkonen on track now. Perez is on C3s now, and improves slightly to a 1m20.406s. Tidy.
Bottas has returned to the pits, while there's no sign of improvements on track.
PEREZ. The Racing dot driver takes second in the order from Raikkonen, with a 1m19.944s. That makes him the only person other than Vettel to dip under 1m20s.
Raikkonen doesn't look able to take that second spot back, as he's on a consistent run of hovering just over 1m20s.
Verstappen and Kvyat are out in the Honda-powered Red Bull and Toro Rosso respectively. Frankly, both cars sound like tractors.
Perez pits after his strong run, during which he took second fastest time from Raikkonen.
Out on track, we have Verstappen, Kvyat and Raikkonen.
Out on track, we have Verstappen, Kvyat and Raikkonen.
Information
Lap count with half an hour to go before the lunchbreak:
Vettel - 57
Bottas - 51
Hulkenberg - 46
Sainz - 45
Verstappen - 37
Raikkonen - 36
Perez - 20
Kvyat - 14
Grosjean - 12
Vettel - 57
Bottas - 51
Hulkenberg - 46
Sainz - 45
Verstappen - 37
Raikkonen - 36
Perez - 20
Kvyat - 14
Grosjean - 12
Kvyat, after what seemed like a decent start for Toro Rosso with 12 early laps, hadn't been seen for ages and hadn't added to that tally since this morning.
Raikkonen pits leaving the two Honda-powered cars on track. Verstappen is on C2s and Kvyat is on C3s.
Raikkonen pits leaving the two Honda-powered cars on track. Verstappen is on C2s and Kvyat is on C3s.
Information
Current order (also available in the timing box to the right of the feed)
1 Vettel 1m18.425s
2 Perez 1m19.944s
3 Raikkonen 1m20.160s
4 Verstappen 1m20.174s
5 Bottas 1m20.285s
6 Sainz 1m20.430s
7 Grosjean 1m21.500s
8 Hulkenberg 1m21.633s
9 Kvyat 1m21.732s
1 Vettel 1m18.425s
2 Perez 1m19.944s
3 Raikkonen 1m20.160s
4 Verstappen 1m20.174s
5 Bottas 1m20.285s
6 Sainz 1m20.430s
7 Grosjean 1m21.500s
8 Hulkenberg 1m21.633s
9 Kvyat 1m21.732s
Verstappen improves, that's a 1m20.174s. But thanks to recent improvements from Perez and Raikkonen, it keeps him fourth overall.
Kvyat also improves, but is still last, on a 1m21.732s.
Kvyat also improves, but is still last, on a 1m21.732s.
Vettel and Hulkenberg join the on-track running.
Bottas is back on track while, already on it, Vettel is fastest of anyone in the first sector so far.
Stopwatch
Vettel is a man possessed today, he improves his own benchmark to a 1m18.418s. There's only one other driver quicker than a 1m20s!
Hulkenberg has improved. Using the C2 tyre, he sets a 1m21.578s, but doesn't move up from eighth.
Sainz joins the party on track. Already dancing are Vettel, Verstappen, Bottas, Hulkenberg and Kvyat.
Hulkenberg improves again. A 1m20.980s elevates him above the Haas of Grosjean and into seventh.
Stopwatch
And Vettel also improves again. It's by less than a tenth, but it's an improvement nonetheless. The time is a 1m18.161s. Can he break into the 1m17s today?
More improvements on the board, this time it's Bottas who takes third with a 1m20.127s. He's on the C2 tyre.
Kvyat has circled for over 20 laps this morning now, meaning only Haas has done fewer than 20. A fuel pressure issue caused Grosjean to grind to a halt earlier, after 12 laps.
Lots of middling times being pumped in now, presumably as the drivers have got complacent as they wait for lunch in just 15 minutes time.
Someone heard us mention middling times, so to combat that, Ferrari has sent Vettel back out on track.
A classic lonely testing day scene
The track resembles an orchestra far better than a soloist now, as a session-high six drivers are on the track.
They are Vettel, Bottas, Verstappen, Sainz, Hulkenberg and Kvyat.
They are Vettel, Bottas, Verstappen, Sainz, Hulkenberg and Kvyat.
Seven. There's seven cars on track. Panic!
Raikkonen joins those currently circling.
Raikkonen joins those currently circling.
The sunshine is showing off a tweak Pirelli has made for this season:
"You might have noticed that our tyres have a more shiny look to them this year," it said on social media. "This is because we are using chrome moulds for the first time in F1 (we’ve tried them before in F2). There’s no effect on performance, but they look nice, don’t they?"
"You might have noticed that our tyres have a more shiny look to them this year," it said on social media. "This is because we are using chrome moulds for the first time in F1 (we’ve tried them before in F2). There’s no effect on performance, but they look nice, don’t they?"
Make that eight cars on track, as Vettel joins again. Grosjean – who had a fuel pressure issue earlier – and Perez are the only drivers not on track.
He's back! Romain Grosjean noses the Haas out of the garage to take revenge on the Circuit de Catalunya.
Earlier the Haas ground to a halt with a fuel pressure issue. It has completed 12 laps.
Verstappen pits his Red Bull, after totalling 52 laps so far today.
Earlier the Haas ground to a halt with a fuel pressure issue. It has completed 12 laps.
Verstappen pits his Red Bull, after totalling 52 laps so far today.
Sainz pits his McLaren, which has racked up 56 laps today. Vettel replaces him on track.
It's been a strong end to the first part of today's test in terms of running for Toro Rosso. It spent a long time in the pits, but an extensive stint on track means Kvyat has 32 laps and counting under his belt on his return to the team.
Vettel is teasing us, pumping in a 1m18.343s, which is very close to his benchmark for today.
Hulkenberg pits, there's just over a minute to go before lunch.
Hulkenberg pits, there's just over a minute to go before lunch.
Checkered flag
That's the end of the morning/a little bit of the afternoon session.
Our full morning report is on the way. In the meantime, the pits got very loud and then very quiet as the drivers head off for some pasta, or something even healthier.
Information
Here's a lap count for the morning/very early afternoon running:
Vettel - 72
Bottas - 69
Hulkenberg - 65
Sainz - 56
Verstappen - 52
Raikkonen - 46
Kvyat - 35
Perez - 20
Grosjean - 18
Vettel - 72
Bottas - 69
Hulkenberg - 65
Sainz - 56
Verstappen - 52
Raikkonen - 46
Kvyat - 35
Perez - 20
Grosjean - 18
Information
And here's the times from the morning:
1 Vettel (Ferrari) 1m18.161s
2 Perez (Racing Point) 1m19.944s
3 Bottas (Mercedes) 1m20.127s
4 Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) 1m20.160s
5 Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m20.174s
6 Sainz (McLaren) 1m20.430s
7 Hulkenberg (Renault)1m20.980s
8 Grosjean (Haas) 1m21.500s
9 Kvyat (Toro Rosso) 1m21.732s
1 Vettel (Ferrari) 1m18.161s
2 Perez (Racing Point) 1m19.944s
3 Bottas (Mercedes) 1m20.127s
4 Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) 1m20.160s
5 Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m20.174s
6 Sainz (McLaren) 1m20.430s
7 Hulkenberg (Renault)1m20.980s
8 Grosjean (Haas) 1m21.500s
9 Kvyat (Toro Rosso) 1m21.732s
There's a small driver change for the afternoon, which we'll get into more detail on soon.
Renault switches Nico Hulkenberg for Daniel Ricciardo, and Lewis Hamilton takes over the Mercedes from Valtteri Bottas.
Renault switches Nico Hulkenberg for Daniel Ricciardo, and Lewis Hamilton takes over the Mercedes from Valtteri Bottas.
By: Geoff Creighton
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