F1 testing: Raikkonen keeps Ferrari on top on final day at Barcelona
Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen ended the final day of Barcelona Formula 1 testing with the fastest time, as McLaren and Renault both made up for lost ground on Friday afternoon
Raikkonen's morning effort of 1m17.221s was not threatened in the final afternoon of pre-season running, although a spate of late runs in the final hour did shake up the order behind the Finn.
Daniel Ricciardo was the first to make a big move with 45 minutes of the session to go, jumping up to second in the Red Bull on supersofts, before he was usurped by both Carlos Sainz Jr and Fernando Alonso.
Sainz did not get his day going properly until around two hours were left, after Renault had to replace his RS18's gearbox, but went second fastest with 30 minutes to run on hypersofts.
But the Spaniard was beaten to the runner-up spot before the end of the day by compatriot Alonso, who was making up for lost time after a turbo issue caused the McLaren to stop on track in the morning and lose over five hours while its Renault power unit was changed.
Using hypersofts, Alonso posted a 1m17.981s to go second and then improved to a 1m17.784s to end the day 0.563 seconds slower than Raikkonen.
Alonso did briefly jump to the top of the times in the final 10 minutes, but had his lap deleted for cutting the final chicane.
He ended the day with a total of 93 laps to his name.
Romain Grosjean was the day's most productive runner for Haas with a tally of 181 laps, the best of which was good enough for fifth-fastest behind Ricciardo using ultrasofts.
Valtteri Bottas took over testing duties from Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the afternoon, going sixth fastest on mediums and giving the champion outfit a combined session-topping total of 201 laps.
After his morning spin, Charles Leclerc used hypersofts to move up to ninth in the Sauber behind Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso) and Force India's Esteban Ocon.
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams) completed the top 10 after handing over to Lance Stroll for the final few hours, with the Canadian again setting the slowest of the day behind Hamilton using softs.
Friday testing times
| Pos | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 1m17.221s | - | 157 |
| 2 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren/Renault | 1m17.784s | 0.563s | 93 |
| 3 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Renault | 1m18.092s | 0.871s | 45 |
| 4 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull/Renault | 1m18.327s | 1.106s | 92 |
| 5 | Romain Grosjean | Haas/Ferrari | 1m18.412s | 1.191s | 181 |
| 6 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1m18.825s | 1.604s | 104 |
| 7 | Brendon Hartley | Toro Rosso/Honda | 1m18.949s | 1.728s | 156 |
| 8 | Esteban Ocon | Force India/Mercedes | 1m18.967s | 1.746s | 163 |
| 9 | Charles Leclerc | Sauber/Ferrari | 1m19.118s | 1.897s | 75 |
| 10 | Sergey Sirotkin | Williams/Mercedes | 1m19.189s | 1.968s | 105 |
| 11 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1m19.464s | 2.243s | 97 |
| 12 | Lance Stroll | Williams/Mercedes | 1m19.954s | 2.733s | 27 |
Pirelli reveals time gaps between 2018 Formula 1 tyre compounds
Ricciardo: Red Bull F1 team most prepared for season since I joined
Why it's Red Bull that really leads a three-way fight so far at Silverstone
After a slow start to Friday at Silverstone, all the Formula 1 teams had to effectively cram in a day’s worth of practice into one hour. But there was still plenty to learn and while Ferrari topped the times, a three-way battle is brewing ahead of the British Grand Prix
Why the future is bright for the British GP
It wasn’t so long ago the situation looked bleak at Silverstone with the future of the British Grand Prix under threat. But a transformation has seen it restored to one of the most important races on the Formula 1 calendar, with bigger and better to come
Could mixed fortunes for F1's leading Brits turn around at Silverstone?
For the first time in many years, none of the local racers starts among the favourites for the British Grand Prix. But George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris could have reasons for optimism
Verstappen exclusive: Why F1’s champion isn’t fazed by Silverstone return
Max Verstappen is the world’s number one racing driver… and he’s determined to keep it that way. Speaking exclusively to GP Racing's OLEG KARPOV, the Red Bull driver explains why he’s relishing the 2022 championship battle with Charles Leclerc – and why he’s not worried about returning to Silverstone, the scene of the biggest accident of his career last year
Why Red Bull’s RB17 hypercar can help its F1 team
On Tuesday, Red Bull laid out its plans to develop and build a new hypercar - the RB17 - penned by Adrian Newey. As the project itself sates Newey as a creative outlet, it also offers Red Bull's Formula 1 team a number of new and exciting avenues to pursue
What to expect from Mercedes as F1 returns to Silverstone
OPINION: The British Grand Prix is a home event for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, with their Mercedes team based just a few miles away too. But there’s another reason why the Silver Arrows squad is eager to arrive at Silverstone this weekend, which may help it fix its remaining problems with its 2022 Formula 1 challenger
The “solemn promise” that cost quiet hero Brooks an F1 title
After two terrifying crashes, one of the best British racers of the 1950s retired before his career peaked. But that’s why GP Racing’s MAURICE HAMILTON was able to speak to Tony Brooks in 2014. Like his friend Stirling Moss, Brooks was regarded as one of the best drivers never to have won the world championship. Here, as our tribute to Brooks who died last month, is that interview in full
Inside the Faenza facility where AlphaTauri’s F1 pragmatic vision is realised
AlphaTauri’s mission in F1 is to sell clothes and train young drivers rather than win the championship – but you still need a cutting-edge factory to do that. Team boss Franz Tost takes GP Racing’s OLEG KARPOV on a guided tour of a facility that’s continuing to grow