F1 testing: Renault's Nico Hulkenberg leads drying Thursday session
Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg set the pace on a rain-affected final morning of the first week of Formula 1 pre-season testing at Barcelona
After Wednesday's running was written off by snow and persistent rain, conditions on Thursday morning were initially little better. But the higher temperatures at least meant some teams attempted meaningful runs on full wet tyres.
By 12.30pm local time, conditions had improved enough to make intermediates the tyre of choice, and half an hour later the track had dried sufficiently to make slick running possible.
Valtteri Bottas was first to venture out on slicks for Mercedes, moving to the top of the timesheets just after 1pm with a 1m24.722s on mediums, while Hulkenberg soon followed suit with a set of softs.
Bottas quickly improved to a 1m22.789s, but just before 1.15pm Hulkenberg posted a time 0.060 seconds quicker to grab the advantage and then improved to a 1m22.507s to go two tenths clear of the Mercedes driver.
Marcus Ericsson used a set of super-softs to go third-fastest for Sauber, albeit 3.176s off the pace, moving ahead of Pierre Gasly, Max Verstappen and Stoffel Vandoorne - who had all set their best times on intermediates as of 1.15pm.
Verstappen didn't set his first timed lap until almost 1pm, briefly going fastest, and had only completed 18 laps - the least of all bar Force India's Sergio Perez, who managed just 11.
Vandoorne by contrast managed the most of all with 72, setting by far the most laps when the conditions were at their worst early in the morning.
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel was seventh-fastest using softs, while the order was completed by Sergey Sirotkin, Kevin Magnussen and Perez.
The only red flag of the morning was prompted by an off for Ericsson at Turn 2, with the Sauber returning to action shortly after running resumed.
Thursday morning times
| Pos | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1m19.333s | - | 69 |
| 2 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren/Renault | 1m19.854s | 0.521s | 110 |
| 3 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1m20.241s | 0.908s | 120 |
| 4 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas/Ferrari | 1m20.317s | 0.984s | 96 |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren/Renault | 1m20.929s | 1.596s | 51 |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Renault | 1m20.940s | 1.607s | 60 |
| 7 | Lance Stroll | Williams/Mercedes | 1m21.142s | 1.809s | 54 |
| 8 | Sergio Perez | Force India/Mercedes | 1m21.973s | 2.640s | 65 |
| 9 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull/Renault | 1m22.058s | 2.725s | 35 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Toro Rosso/Honda | 1m22.134s | 2.801s | 147 |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 1m22.507s | 3.174s | 49 |
| 12 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1m22.789s | 3.456s | 60 |
| 13 | Charles Leclerc | Sauber/Ferrari | 1m22.808s | 3.475s | 59 |
| 14 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber/Ferrari | 1m23.825s | 4.492s | 79 |
| 15 | Sergey Sirotkin | Williams/Mercedes | 1m31.979s | 12.646s | 47 |
Has Honda finally woken from its F1 nightmare?
F1 testing: McLaren was stopped by '£2 problem' with exhaust bolt
The five factors behind Sainz winning a British GP he’d twice lost
Formula 1 has a newest race winner, in a grand prix the victor appeared to have lost twice, only to charge back to headline a sensational and dramatic British Grand Prix. From a massive start crash to a late sprint finish, here’s how five factors saw Carlos Sainz take his maiden grand prix win
Why there was no case to answer in Aston’s latest F1 copycat saga
The appearance of a revised Aston Martin in Spain caused controversy but PAT SYMONDS explains why the FIA investigation found the Silverstone team had no case to answer
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