What we learned from the first full race simulations of 2021 F1 testing

The leaderboard at the end of F1's second day of pre-season testing had a familiar feel about it but, despite Mercedes topping the charts, it still has some catching up to do against teams that ran full race distances. Here's what the data shows

Updated Mar 13, 2021, 10:20 PM

Formula 1 testing 2021 has passed its halfway point, with Mercedes finally getting back to its customary place at the head of the times, but Saturday’s running was still far from faultless for the reigning champion squad.

Both sessions took place in much cooler conditions than on day one, but without the dramatic sandstorm of Friday afternoon. The wind remained a challenging factor, with several drivers having off-track moments throughout the course of the action.

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Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.