Barcelona second F1 test day two
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Three-quarters of an hour into the second day of testing and just two proper times on the board. Sleepy start to Wednesday, but it's a long day. A long week, to be fair. A long fortnight really. You get the idea.
Alonso brings his McLaren straight back in, likewise Grosjean in his Haas, but Massa and Hulkenberg have continued round.
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All eyes will be on Stroll's return to the Williams cockpit later given his incident-filled first test. He's already had sympathy from Lewis Hamilton over joining the field just as these new cars are introduced, and now team-mate Felipe Massa shows he's on the teenager's side too: 
Renault is getting in on the 'aero' act as well this morning - a good way to make use of not very representative cool conditions. © LAT
Out heads Alonso again. Hulkenberg and Massa, who will hand over his Williams to Stroll later, are also on outlaps.
Wehrlein and Grosjean are back out, but the Sauber's not on track for long as it returns to the pitlane. The German did this yesterday, getting into double digits in lap count without setting a time.
This has been a good stint early doors from Bottas, who is into the high 1m21s on his latest lap.
Wehrlein back in the pits in the Sauber, and then on his way again. Grosjean's Haas does an outlap, but returns immediately. Hulkenberg did the same earlier – he's back in the garage.
We're filing this aero contraption under 'weird and wonderful'. © LAT
Bottas is in the low-1m23s as he starts his latest run on the soft tyre.
Verstappen's pit in the Red Bull after a nine-lap run, and his team carried out a practice steering wheel change in the box.
A bit slower that time from Verstappen, a high 1m24s. He's been joined on track by Bottas, Wehrlein and Hulkenberg.
Still not seen the Toro Rosso.
Still not seen the Toro Rosso.
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Alonso's back in the pits, so nothing major from McLaren yet.
Verstappen improves again. A 1m22.172s. Is he settling into a long run? This is the sort of data we'd like from Red Bull after Ferrari/Mercedes both had soft-tyre stints yesterday.
They are ultra-soft tyres on Alonso's McLaren, not super-softs. His first lap's...gentle. A 1m35.717s. He's on the board, but 14.4s off the pace. He should improve.
Four consecutive personal bests from Verstappen, who shaves another couple of tenths off with a 1m22.290s.
Alonso's back out in the McLaren on what looked like super-soft tyres as the MCL32 flashed past. We'll take a closer look next time by.
Verstappen improves again, to a 1m22.466s. He's 1.2s slower than Bottas at the moment.
Wehrlein popped out again in the Sauber but everybody's favourite Swiss team with a car denomination based on its founder's wife has brought him back in again. That's his fourth lap so far, but still no time.
Verstappen's first lap is a 1m22.847s, and he shaves a little bit of time off that next time through with a 1m22.761s.
Perez is back in after just an outlap on super-softs. Verstappen has continued in the Red Bull, which is fitted with soft tyres.
Hulkenberg's back in the pits now after that installation lap. Fear not, though, because we've got Verstappen and Perez back on track – the action's picking up!
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Hulkenberg's sharing driving duties with team-mate Palmer again today.
"Last week we didn't do it but actually I was in favour to run the day like this," said Hulkenberg yesterday.
"If the car lasts you have really just four hours of quality work. You get it done and then you have a bit more resting time and probably when you get back in the car you’re in better shape and everybody is a bit fresher, so I think that works quite well."
"Last week we didn't do it but actually I was in favour to run the day like this," said Hulkenberg yesterday.
"If the car lasts you have really just four hours of quality work. You get it done and then you have a bit more resting time and probably when you get back in the car you’re in better shape and everybody is a bit fresher, so I think that works quite well."
...Hulkenberg leaves the pits. That shows us! Good to see Bumblebee from Transformers on track. To be fair, that Renault's a nice-looking car.
It's quiet out there...too quiet. Almost 20 minutes on the clock. Did everyone have a late night?
Only two lap times on the board, and we're yet to see Sainz or Hulkenberg at all. The Hulk stopped on track yesterday on a troubled day for Renault.
Only two lap times on the board, and we're yet to see Sainz or Hulkenberg at all. The Hulk stopped on track yesterday on a troubled day for Renault.
Raikkonen stayed out to start a lap but he doesn't Finnish it, instead bringing the Ferrari back into the pits after what, with that sort of gear on the back, was an early data-collection run.
Raikkonen, with rear wing apparatus that looks like he's spun half-way round that lap and crashed backwards into some scaffolding, is out on soft tyres.
Yesterday Ferrari sent Vettel out on mediums in the morning before collecting soft-tyre data in the afternoon. Will Raikkonen be put on a similar programme?
Inspired by Ocon, Raikkonen and Ferrari decide an empty track is a welcoming track – the Finn heads out for his first lap of the Circuit de Catalunya this week.
Perez being on duty for Force India today means there's no chance for Esteban Ocon to break the silence. He did that well during yesterday's two main dull points. People's champion.
And now Perez is back, so that means we have an empty track after a...well, not flurry. More of a trickle. A trickle of activity in the opening 10 minutes.
Grosjean back in the Haas after his installation lap. Bottas also brings that short burst to an end beneath us. Massa's in the pits too – so just Perez, who has left the Force India garage for the first time, on track at the moment.
The best first sector so far, the best middle sector so far...but a few tenths lost in the final sector, and Bottas doesn't improve on his fourth lap on these ultra-softs.
We've seen Massa and Grosjean join the track now – Wehrlein came in and out again in his Sauber a moment ago, and he's just rolled down the pitlane past our vantage point again.
Stopwatch
Three consecutive laps on ultra-soft tyres for Bottas, and he improves again (albeit after a slower middle sector) to a 1m21.229s.
Stopwatch
Bottas improves again next time by, down to a 1m21.327s. Verstappen pits in his Red Bull.
Stopwatch
We have a time on the board, and it's pretty quick straight out of the box from Bottas: a 1m22.474s.
Verstappen comes through 3.5s slower.
Verstappen comes through 3.5s slower.
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Anyway, Alonso returns to the pits immediately after his outlap. Bottas and Verstappen continue onto a second lap.
By: Geoff Creighton
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