F1 testing: Lewis Hamilton 'sacrifice' saved Mercedes an hour
Lewis Hamilton says he chose to "sacrifice" driving on day two of Formula 1 pre-season testing as avoiding a driver change saved Mercedes about an hour of running time
Bitterly cold weather at Barcelona has reduced the amount of running F1 teams would have hoped to have achieved by the halfway point of the test.
Mercedes had opted to split each day of the first test between its two drivers with a changeover around lunchtime.
But lunch was cancelled on day two with the track remaining open to allow teams to make the best of reasonable conditions before predicted bad weather later in the day.
Hamilton and Bottas are down to do half a day each every day this week, with Bottas the first in the car on Tuesday.
"With the weather conditions being up and down and the loss of track time we had yesterday, it made sense to keep Valtteri in the car this afternoon," said Hamilton.
"Having run in the morning, he was comfortable in the car already and we would have lost about an hour of running time with the driver switch.
"With no real understanding of whether good weather was coming or not, I took the decision to sacrifice that time in order for the team to gain better understanding of the car by going through the run plan."
Bottas ended the day second quickest, 0.303 seconds behind Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, with a final tally of 94 laps, and said the team did the best it could in frustrating conditions.
"It was very cold on track today; I don't think I've ever driven in such cold conditions before in Formula 1," said Bottas.
"Testing is always difficult in these temperatures, the tyres are just not made for these conditions. But we made the most out of the day.
"In the morning, we focused on aero work with different aero rakes on the car, running various tests. In the afternoon, I was doing long runs and we also worked on the set-up.
"It was quite tricky in these temperatures, but we managed to get some work done and found some answers to our testing items.
"The weather is obviously unfortunate, but there's nothing we can do about it and it's the same conditions for everyone.
"In these conditions, I would say today was a good day."
Vandoorne explains McLaren's long delay on day two of F1 testing
F1 testing demands too 'brutal' to use Bahrain instead of Spain - Haas
F1 testing: Max Verstappen feels 'big difference' in 2018 Red Bull
F1 testing: Max Verstappen feels 'big difference' in 2018 Red Bull F1 testing: Max Verstappen feels 'big difference' in 2018 Red Bull
Williams F1's Oliver Rowland to test Super Formula car at Suzuka
Williams F1's Oliver Rowland to test Super Formula car at Suzuka Williams F1's Oliver Rowland to test Super Formula car at Suzuka
Why F1's under-fire rookie is already causing surprises
Why F1's under-fire rookie is already causing surprises Why F1's under-fire rookie is already causing surprises
The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold
The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold
Hamilton: Mercedes needs best ever six months of F1 development to catch Red Bull
Hamilton: Mercedes needs best ever six months of F1 development to catch Red Bull Hamilton: Mercedes needs best ever six months of F1 development to catch Red Bull
Mercedes: Team orders to protect Hamilton despite “no sense” criticism
Mercedes: Team orders to protect Hamilton despite “no sense” criticism Mercedes: Team orders to protect Hamilton despite “no sense” criticism
The new F1 floor that helped Ferrari beat Mercedes in Japan
The new F1 floor that helped Ferrari beat Mercedes in Japan The new F1 floor that helped Ferrari beat Mercedes in Japan
Vasseur: Ferrari can’t "postpone the fight" with Mercedes to 2024 F1 season
Vasseur: Ferrari can’t "postpone the fight" with Mercedes to 2024 F1 season Vasseur: Ferrari can’t "postpone the fight" with Mercedes to 2024 F1 season
Why the painful process of Mercedes’ F1 B-spec shift isn’t over yet
Why the painful process of Mercedes’ F1 B-spec shift isn’t over yet Why the painful process of Mercedes’ F1 B-spec shift isn’t over yet
Vandoorne hopes Peugeot WEC deal won't compromise Aston Martin F1 reserve role
Vandoorne hopes Peugeot WEC deal won't compromise Aston Martin F1 reserve role Vandoorne hopes Peugeot WEC deal won't compromise Aston Martin F1 reserve role
WRC Chile: Tanak closing on victory as Hyundai pair fight for second
WRC Chile: Tanak closing on victory as Hyundai pair fight for second WRC Chile: Tanak closing on victory as Hyundai pair fight for second
"I couldn’t see anything" - Why Oliveira lost Motegi MotoGP top-six finish
"I couldn’t see anything" - Why Oliveira lost Motegi MotoGP top-six finish "I couldn’t see anything" - Why Oliveira lost Motegi MotoGP top-six finish
Ducati boss flattered by Marquez's interest in year-old MotoGP bike
Ducati boss flattered by Marquez's interest in year-old MotoGP bike Ducati boss flattered by Marquez's interest in year-old MotoGP bike
Ranking the top 10 Benetton F1 drivers
Ranking the top 10 Benetton F1 drivers Ranking the top 10 Benetton F1 drivers
When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle
When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle
The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold
The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold
The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose
The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose
How football has posed difficult questions for F1
How football has posed difficult questions for F1 How football has posed difficult questions for F1
The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1
The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1 The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1
Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023
Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023 Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023
How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip
How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.