Barcelona second 2015 test Test day one
Live Text
Sort by
Nasr back in the pits again.
Nasr repeats his trademark in-again-out-again routine. Nothing's changed with Maldonado and Wolff, as both circulate in the 1m29s and 1m32s respectively.
We finished typing that, and Maldonado did a 1m34s. Sorry Lotus.
We finished typing that, and Maldonado did a 1m34s. Sorry Lotus.
The Force India trundles through the pitlane, with Wehrlein shortly followed in by Nasr.
Nasr breaks the monotony by falling into the 1m28s.
On-track update: We still have Wolff circulating (need I tell you the time? 1m32s...) along with Maldonado and Wehrlein (both in the 1m29s) and Nasr (still in the 1m27s).
Quote
Word from our man-in-the-pits BEN ANDERSON, who suspects some pitstop practice from Toro Rosso as they bring out the big marker cones, but Verstappen's wheeled into the garage with fans on the brake ducts.
Anderson has also spied the bodywork off the McLaren and fans on blast. "Lots of working going on around the car inside the garage and plenty of studious screen watching," he adds.
Anderson has also spied the bodywork off the McLaren and fans on blast. "Lots of working going on around the car inside the garage and plenty of studious screen watching," he adds.
A note on tyres: Nasr's 1m27s-pace is courtesy of Pirelli's medium-compound rubber; Wolff is on hards and Wehrlein on unmarked winter hards.
Verstappen pits.
Verstappen pits.
Verstappen's pace has dropped from his 1m27.9s best, but it was consistently 1m28s-29s before the last effort, a 1m30.2s
Wolff? Still 1m32s.
Wolff? Still 1m32s.
A purple first sector for Nasr, but the lap falls away and he's no quicker.
Stopwatch
Nasr converts that into a new fastest time, 1m27.307s for the new Sauber recruit.
Pacesetter Nasr is back on track, and purple in the middle sector.
Another improvement for Maldonado, and this one (1m28.218s) lifts him past Wehrlein to fifth.
Still Wolff pounds round in the 1m32s.
Still Wolff pounds round in the 1m32s.
Maldonado's improved his time already, to 1m28.486s. That means the top six is covered by less than a second.
Wolff has continued in the high-1m32s and low-1m33s.
Maldonado rejoins in the Lotus, as Verstappen shoots to second!
The Toro Rosso youngster is 0.4s behind Nasr now on a 1m27.951s.
The Toro Rosso youngster is 0.4s behind Nasr now on a 1m27.951s.
Verstappen comes out in the Toro Rosso. He's fallen to sixth in the times but is only 1.3s off the pace. And, with 25 laps to build on, is doing the lion's share of Renault's work this morning.
Max Verstappen Barcelona Toro Rosso
And a 1m32.9s from Wolff this time. Early indicators of another longer run.
Better from Wolff, but not an improvement. It's a 1m32.7s (her first lap was a 1m33.9s).
Wolff, slowest of those to have set a time so far, is a long way from improving her best on her first flying lap of this run. Not that that'll trouble Williams, mind.
Anderson at Mercedes: "Hamilton didn't feel comfortable in the car in that condition. The hope is that he can return on Saturday."
Breaking news
More on Hamilton's illness from BEN ANDERSON: Mercedes says the champion had been suffering from a "high fever" during the morning.
And that's Wehrlein coming in at the end of lap 20.
Silence doesn't descend on the Circuit de Catalunya though. Wolff's back out to build on her tally.
Silence doesn't descend on the Circuit de Catalunya though. Wolff's back out to build on her tally.
Latest lap counts after two and a half hours of running:
Wolff 33
Raikkonen 29
Nasr 28
Verstappen 25
Button 21
Wehrlein 19
Maldonado 16
Hamilton 11
Ricciardo 8
Wolff 33
Raikkonen 29
Nasr 28
Verstappen 25
Button 21
Wehrlein 19
Maldonado 16
Hamilton 11
Ricciardo 8
Twitter
"Getting nice and warm here in Barcelona," declares Sauber's Marcus Ericsson as he watches team-mate Nasr's efforts today. That tweet came mere moments after AUTOSPORT's Scott Mitchell was declaring how cold it was outside, but Ericsson is from Sweden and Mitchell is from Kent, so that probably accounts for it.
For the record, it's 10.1C outside now and 25.6C track temperature. Humidity is falling all the time and down to 58 per cent, the breeze is just 2mph.
For the record, it's 10.1C outside now and 25.6C track temperature. Humidity is falling all the time and down to 58 per cent, the breeze is just 2mph.
Round comes Wehrlein, and it's an unspectacular 1m30s. Not much to get excited about at the moment.
...for mere fractions of a second before Wehrlein sets off again in the Force India.
And as that was just an out/in-lap for Maldonado, we've got an empty track...
Nasr ends that run and pits at the end of his 28th lap of the morning.
Lotus's hero actually carries on his way. Maldonado back on track and straight into the 1m28s again.
Simultaneous pitlane parking in the Red Bull stable as Ricciardo and Verstappen come back in and are slewed into the garages by their crews.
Maldonado, who has gone from zero to hero, returns to the Lotus garage. Nasr (26 laps) continues on his way.
A flurry of returnees to the pitlane leaves just Nasr and Maldonado on track.
Wolff's run, the longest of anyone thus far, took her up to 33 laps.
Wolff's run, the longest of anyone thus far, took her up to 33 laps.
Nasr can't convert a purple first sector into a new personal best, crossing the line in 1m28.378s.
It's warming up nicely here at Barcelona. Air temperature is almost at double figures, while the track has risen to 24.4C.
And another improvement for Maldonado, who gets ahead of Verstappen on a 1m28.669s.
Those unmarked tyres on the Sauber are Pirelli's special winter hard-compound tyres. Quicker warm-up on cold tyres, so says the Italian manufacturer.
Confirmation from BEN ANDERSON in the paddock that Raikkonen lost his time due to chicane cutting. It's possible the same fate befell Button.
Another improvement for Maldonado, now on 1m28.949s and just 1.4s off the pace.
Stopwatch
Nasr goes purple in sectors one and two. And he duly goes quickest, on a 1m27.522s. Let's see if he keeps that time.
Looks like unmarked tyres on the Sauber.
Looks like unmarked tyres on the Sauber.
Two green sectors for Maldonado, hardly surprising as he's 23s off the pace presently. Now he goes sixth, just 1.8s off the pace!
By: Scott Mitchell, Ben Anderson, Matt Beer, Glenn Freeman, Lawrence Barretto
Published:
Lap:
