The teams began 2017 winter testing in Barcelona this today and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel led the morning session. The new cars and teams were putting their heads down and getting to work in sorting out their new 2017 challengers with Ferrari and Mercedes leading the way.
The Mercedes was driven by Lewis Hamilton’s new teammate, Valtteri Bottas, and while the Fin was at the top of the time sheets with a run on soft compounds, Vettel answered back on medium compound tires with a 1m22.792s which was already close to the best test time in 2016.
Mercedes were already looking strong and mirroring last year’s punishing lap count during testing. Bottas completed the most laps of the morning session with 79. Sadly, McLaren hit trouble after just one installation lap with an oil issue that sidelined Fernando Alonso.
Haas F1’s new driver, Kevin Magnussen, spun and hit the tire barriers but avoided a red flag as he limped the car back to the pits. Red Bull had issues on Daniel Ricciardo’s car that stopped him between turns 3 and 4 after just an hour into the session.
| POS | DRIVER | CAR | TIME | GAP | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1m22.791ss | 1m22.791s | 62 |
| 2 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1m23.169ss | 0.378s | 79 |
| 3 | Sergio Perez | Force India/Mercedes | 1m23.709ss | 0.918s | 39 |
| 4 | Felipe Massa | Williams/Mercedes | 1m25.552ss | 2.761s | 39 |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso/Renault | 1m25.632ss | 2.841s | 18 |
| 6 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 1m26.319ss | 3.528s | 22 |
| 7 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas/Ferrari | 1m26.404ss | 3.613s | 15 |
| 8 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber/Ferrari | 1m26.865ss | 4.074s | 32 |
| 9 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull/Renault | 1m28.712ss | 5.921s | 4 |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren/Honda | – | – | 1 |
Sorry to ask, but could you be so kind as to inform all us F1 fans where we can watch – on TV not streaming – these sessions? Also, where will F1 be broadcast this year? Any clues?
Testing sessions are not broadcast as far as I know.
Must be a newbie to the sports, all they are interested in is the looks of the cars, that is as far as their minds go.
FERRARI by far the strongest/fastest so far.
At the end of the day Mercedes were fastest and did the most laps.
It is interesting that only Mercedes is planning to use both drivers on every day of the tests. With the greater demands on the drivers and their drivers completing over a race distance each on the first day, this could be good planning on their part. They had to do something similar last year after the drivers suffered from trying to do too many laps in one day. Perhaps no one else is expecting to do that kind of mileage?
MAX SPEED:
Vettel. 283.4. tyres medium.
number 44. 280.5. tyres soft.
Massa. 280.5. tyres soft.
AVERAHE SPEED:
number 44. 204.9. tyres soft.
Vettel. 204.7. tyres medium.
Massa. 204.2. tyres soft.
First day results so far, FERRARI are the strongest and fastest.
As to sand bagging, sand begging my leg.
These regulations were aimed at reducing lap times by about five seconds. So far Hamilton has managed to shave only one second off the fastest time set in pre-season testing last year.
Either the teams have been very poor at exploiting the new regulations, or they aren’t showing their true pace.
“these regulations were aimed at reducing lap times by about five seconds” confuse me some, confuse me not. I really need a drink now.
……
Right now the number of laps a team puts in is more important than times. Maybe later we will see some hot laps to put a worry in the other teams.
that is exactly why I said “the strongest/fastest” because laps (number) are important as well as the speed.
‘showing no signs of gathering rust in the off season, McLaren Honda were able to begin 2017 with the same performance they had ended the prior season with….’
Too early to draw any conclusions, but that is a big time gap behind Ferrari and Mercedes.
And…….WTF McLaren and RBR???
Yes of course it is too early and so nobody out to draw any conclusions, it was also only the first day (one day) and that is what we were talking about (one day and right out of the box), although being good right out of the box are always good pointers, a lot can change later on, the season is long. but please when we talking about the situation as was on the first day for the top three and right out of the box, do not mention “sand bagging, because it makes me a bit sick.
Hi Salvu, I’d like to think McLaren are sandbagging……lulling the rest of the field into a false sense of security, before smashing them by 5sec a lap in Melbourne. But that might be a bit hopeful.
Incredible as it might sound an oil tank design fault is being talked about at mchonda. And please do not mention “sand begging” it is ALL FANBOYISM BS.
SANDBAGGING SANDBAGGING SANDBAGGING!!!!
Are you sick?
FERRARI looks rock solid on track compared to the rest, and no they are not sand bagging, they are just doing their thing, using one grade lower/slower tyre then the opposition.
Good grief! McHonda remain a frustration.
As for “S#ndb*gg☆g” I believe you first brought it up ;-)
mchonda, engine number two in as many days.
Good grief! :-(
Isn’t it so impressive that Ferrari are in the mix when you think about the revolving door of chaos that team at least seemed like from outside? Bravo!
Good point Zachery, if they win this season sales of Marcionne’s new management book ‘reign of terror’ will soar.
Strange how nobody seems interested in talking about the teams interpretations of the new aero rules and what they have been running/testing on the first day, one of the most interesting piece tested and of which was not dressed-up/shown in car presentations was the Mercedes shark fin/sails, they tested it in the afternoon, the fin has a slot/opening along three quarters of its top edge, so it is actually hollow, and heat inside the engine cover is rejected/forced-out of this slot at the top edge. Very interesting and clever that.
And it brings us the word ‘flimney’ for flap chimney. Can’t be against that.
My first though was that it was a funnel. Especially as Hamilton has compared the car to a boat.
Does the unfinned Mercedes still have an exit hole in the top of the airbox?