Barcelona second 2015 test Test day one
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SCOTT MITCHELL at the trackside: "Raikkonen is much tighter at Turn 10 than the other drivers on track. He takes a visibly different approach to the corner.
"The rear wheel rides the kerb as he gets the front in and rear round earlier. The throaty Ferrari's power seems comparatively smooth on delivery."
"The rear wheel rides the kerb as he gets the front in and rear round earlier. The throaty Ferrari's power seems comparatively smooth on delivery."
Perez keeps on improving too, with a 1m26.888s that brings the gap to Raikkonen down to 1.290s.
Raikkonen's pace prompts friendly jeers from the German contingent in the press room to the leading Finnish representative.
Stopwatch
But Raikkonen now moves the goalposts - a 1m25.598s places him 1.6s clear of the field.
Whatever Perez is doing is quite quick - a 1m27.240s puts him second beyond Raikkonen, just 0.099s off the pace.
Out at the Turn 10 hairpin, SCOTT MITCHELL reports that Perez is taking a very different and much deeper line to anyone else.
As Wolff pits, Perez does a 1m27.372s and brings himself ahead of Maldonado into fourth.
Pacesetter Raikkonen sets off to join Wolff and Perez on the circuit.
Perez jumps in with a 1m27.547s to put the Force India fifth.
Wolff improves by another four tenths, placing her between the 'Wehrlein twins' - faster than Wehrlein in the Mercedes, slower than Wehrlein in the Force India.
Perez is now back out in the Force India, and "came barrelling into the hairpin" aggressively on his first flying lap, says the trackside-observing SCOTT MITCHELL.
Wolff trims just under a tenth off her best time as she goes onto the fourth lap of that run with a 1m29.327s. She stays ninth.
Nasr comes into the pits after a medium-length run averaging in the mid-1m29s, 2s off his best of the day.
Mammoth mileage for Williams this morning - its 77 laps dwarf most rivals' tallies, with only Nasr's 64-and-counting coming close.
Some company for the Sauber, as Wolff brings the Williams out on track.
Now Nasr's times are coming back down - his last two laps both in the 1m29s (first high, then mid).
Nasr continues to hammer around in the Sauber, onto a fifth flying lap now. His times have gone from mid 1m29s to low 1m30s.
Ricciardo has the lowest lap tally of anyone not suffering from a fever (Hamilton) or only just getting into the car (Perez) with just 18 run this morning.
Hard to tell whether that lack of mileage was a sign of a problem or in the plan. Ricciardo certainly appeared on track quite frequently during the morning, but invariably for single laps with massive sensor equipment on the car.
He then jumped up the order very quickly when he did a longer run towards the end of the morning.
Hard to tell whether that lack of mileage was a sign of a problem or in the plan. Ricciardo certainly appeared on track quite frequently during the morning, but invariably for single laps with massive sensor equipment on the car.
He then jumped up the order very quickly when he did a longer run towards the end of the morning.
Just an installation lap for Perez, who comes back in.
A 1m29.4s next time past for Nasr, who's on medium Pirellis.
Nasr does a 1m29.2s to start this run. Ninja Perez is now joining him on track.
This Sauber vs Ferrari battle for the top spot is a bit familiar from Jerez, but we've got Red Bull just two tenths off the pace here now too.
Raikkonen brings the Ferrari into the pits, revs in the pit bay for a second, then stops. Now Nasr brings the Sauber back out.
Another slower lap for Raikkonen this time around - heading in or building up for a blast?
Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari
Stopwatch
Raikkonen trims 0.039s off his previous mark and improves the top time of the day to a 1m27.141s.
Raikkonen slowed to a 1m35s 'cool-down' lap but is now painting the screens purple again.
Twitter
Amid the new focus on helmet designs this week - as AUTOSPORT revealed plans to restrict drivers to one per season - Force India says Sergio Perez is going to have a "very ninja-esque" look in a carbon fibre black lid today when he heads out.
After a new personal best sector one and new overall best sector two, Raikkonen loses four tenths in the final sector so doesn't improve.
Raikkonen's now going faster still on his next lap around.
Looks like that lap was on the unmarked Pirelli 'winter hard' tyres. It puts him 0.127s clear of previous pacesetter Nasr.
Stopwatch
Raikkonen immediately goes to the top on a 1m27.180s.
Four more hours of running this afternoon under the Barcelona schedule - we'll be going until 6pm local time.
Green flag
Lunch over, F1 back on. Raikkonen is straight out for Ferrari.
Just before the action gets back under way for the afternoon session, here's a rundown the lap counts so far.
Susie Wolff leads the way on an impressive 77 laps, with Lewis Hamilton bringing up the rear on 11 (when Wehrlein's are added together).
Wolff 77
Nasr 56
Maldonado 48
Verstappen 35
Wehrlein (Force India) 32
Raikkonen 29
Button 21
Ricciardo 18
Hamilton 11
Wehrlein (Mercedes) 6
Susie Wolff leads the way on an impressive 77 laps, with Lewis Hamilton bringing up the rear on 11 (when Wehrlein's are added together).
Wolff 77
Nasr 56
Maldonado 48
Verstappen 35
Wehrlein (Force India) 32
Raikkonen 29
Button 21
Ricciardo 18
Hamilton 11
Wehrlein (Mercedes) 6
Just eight cars expected out on track this afternoon following McLaren's problems.
The team has also amended its plans for the rest of the week and brought Fernando Alonso in for tomorrow in place of Button, with Button taking Alonso's Saturday duties in exchange.
Had McLaren not done so, Button would've been confined to the two days compromised by the seal worry, so this switch makes it fair for both.
Having Alonso booked for Saturday and Sunday had been good news for Spanish fans keen to come out at the weekend to see their man, but ensuring Button gets equal time in a functioning car is important.
The team has also amended its plans for the rest of the week and brought Fernando Alonso in for tomorrow in place of Button, with Button taking Alonso's Saturday duties in exchange.
Had McLaren not done so, Button would've been confined to the two days compromised by the seal worry, so this switch makes it fair for both.
Having Alonso booked for Saturday and Sunday had been good news for Spanish fans keen to come out at the weekend to see their man, but ensuring Button gets equal time in a functioning car is important.
Twitter
After posing in the sunshine for the sake of AUTOSPORT banter earlier, Marcus Ericsson is now posing in green-screen-shine for TV, tweets Sauber:
"Marcus is busy with media appointments"
"Marcus is busy with media appointments"
Not actually been a huge amount of eating going on in the media centre, either because journalists don't need food or they've all - like us - snacked through the morning on snaffled remnants of a hotel's breakfast selection.
Not long now until the 30-ish spectators who have hung around in the main Barcelona grandstand have something new, with 10 minutes left of 'lunch'.
Breaking news
Here's a full report of the morning's action, as Sauber sets the pace and technical woes stymie McLaren-Honda's progress.
Nasr quickest as McLaren struggles
Nasr quickest as McLaren struggles
Felipe Nasr, Barcelona F1 test 2015
Checkered flag
Last man out Maldonado peels into the Lotus pits and the track officially moves into lunch mode.
By: Scott Mitchell, Ben Anderson, Matt Beer, Glenn Freeman, Lawrence Barretto
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