After a rather busy four days of testing in Jerez, the Formula 1 teams return to a familiar location. The Circuit de Catalunya for the second winter test of the 2013 season.
The first test makes it hard to judge who is fastest, but the Barcelona circuit is a more well rounded test of what the teams have created and will give us a better look at who is where in 2013.
From sunrise to sunset, the F1 cars pounded around the Barcelona track.It was a quiet start to the day though, with the usual first day data gathering, syncing, system checks and getting comfortable in the car.
So who was driving at round one of the Barcelona test, day 1? Well... Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Sergio Perez (McLaren), Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus), Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber), Paul Di Resta (Force India), Pastor Maldonado (Williams), Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso), Charles Pic (Caterham) and Max Chilton (Marussia).
It was Nico Rosberg who had the first honours of topping the time sheets at the Circuit de Catalunya, piloting his new Mercedes W04. It was a late lap time for Rosberg, setting his fastest time of 1m22.616 in the last half hour.
He set the time on the medium compound Pirelli tyres, the Italian firm bringing all their compounds to the test. It was another troublesome first day for the Mercedes team though, Rosberg being sidelined by a gearbox issue in the morning. He still completed a healthy 54 laps.
The German narrowly topped the time sheets though, Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen setting a near identical time to him. The margin was just 0.007seconds, on similar tyres and at similar times of the day.
The 2007 world champion completed 44 laps during the first day of testing, contrasting heavily with third placed driver Fernando Alonso's 110 laps. The Spaniard had a successful first day driving the Ferrari F138, completing over a century of laps and setting a time just three tenths off Rosberg's time.
Sebastian Vettel's time was close to Alonso's, the German was the final driver within the 1m22's. He completed 66 laps and topped the time sheets for much of the day, before being bumped down to fourth overall. Another consistent day of running for Red Bull, who suffered barely any issues at Jerez.
Like Alonso, Pastor Maldonado was also debuting in his new 2013 machine. The Williams FW35 had been launched just hours earlier, but the Venezuelan completed a healthy tally of 86 laps. He was over a second off Rosberg's leading time. The Grove based team took their 2012 car to Jerez, evaluating the new Pirelli tyres.
Daniel Ricciardo continued to show the promise of the Toro Rosso STR8, setting the sixth fastest time. He too was over a second off Rosberg's time, but had a relatively productive day and completed 73 laps.
Sergio Perez certainly looked relaxed in his new McLaren overalls, and kept on impressing. It may not have been a fastest time, the team running under the radar, but he showed control and consistency throughout the day. He completed 77 laps and ended the day 1.5seconds behind Mercedes.
Paul Di Resta is still the sole Force India driver, his team mate is still to be confirmed. It seemed only natural that the Scot did the baulk of the work again on the first day of testing, completing 82 laps and setting a time worthy of eighth fastest.
He too was 1.5 seconds off the pace, before a leap of over a second to Esteban Gutierrez. After a trouble free showing in Jerez, his Sauber C32 ground to a halt after his team opted to do a dry-fuel run.
Max Chilton rounded out the top 10, ahead of the Caterham. He completed 65 laps in the MR02 and ended the day four seconds off the pace. Caterham also created a red flag after Charles Pic ground to a halt, ending his day early.
The Leafield based team managed 49 laps before the break down, his best lap time of 1m27.534 being nearly five seconds off the pace.
The next week of testing at the Spanish GP venue should be very interesting indeed.
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| (c) Sky Sports F1 |
From sunrise to sunset, the F1 cars pounded around the Barcelona track.It was a quiet start to the day though, with the usual first day data gathering, syncing, system checks and getting comfortable in the car.
So who was driving at round one of the Barcelona test, day 1? Well... Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Sergio Perez (McLaren), Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus), Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber), Paul Di Resta (Force India), Pastor Maldonado (Williams), Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso), Charles Pic (Caterham) and Max Chilton (Marussia).
It was Nico Rosberg who had the first honours of topping the time sheets at the Circuit de Catalunya, piloting his new Mercedes W04. It was a late lap time for Rosberg, setting his fastest time of 1m22.616 in the last half hour.
He set the time on the medium compound Pirelli tyres, the Italian firm bringing all their compounds to the test. It was another troublesome first day for the Mercedes team though, Rosberg being sidelined by a gearbox issue in the morning. He still completed a healthy 54 laps.
The German narrowly topped the time sheets though, Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen setting a near identical time to him. The margin was just 0.007seconds, on similar tyres and at similar times of the day.
The 2007 world champion completed 44 laps during the first day of testing, contrasting heavily with third placed driver Fernando Alonso's 110 laps. The Spaniard had a successful first day driving the Ferrari F138, completing over a century of laps and setting a time just three tenths off Rosberg's time.
Sebastian Vettel's time was close to Alonso's, the German was the final driver within the 1m22's. He completed 66 laps and topped the time sheets for much of the day, before being bumped down to fourth overall. Another consistent day of running for Red Bull, who suffered barely any issues at Jerez.
Like Alonso, Pastor Maldonado was also debuting in his new 2013 machine. The Williams FW35 had been launched just hours earlier, but the Venezuelan completed a healthy tally of 86 laps. He was over a second off Rosberg's leading time. The Grove based team took their 2012 car to Jerez, evaluating the new Pirelli tyres.
Daniel Ricciardo continued to show the promise of the Toro Rosso STR8, setting the sixth fastest time. He too was over a second off Rosberg's time, but had a relatively productive day and completed 73 laps.
Sergio Perez certainly looked relaxed in his new McLaren overalls, and kept on impressing. It may not have been a fastest time, the team running under the radar, but he showed control and consistency throughout the day. He completed 77 laps and ended the day 1.5seconds behind Mercedes.
Paul Di Resta is still the sole Force India driver, his team mate is still to be confirmed. It seemed only natural that the Scot did the baulk of the work again on the first day of testing, completing 82 laps and setting a time worthy of eighth fastest.
He too was 1.5 seconds off the pace, before a leap of over a second to Esteban Gutierrez. After a trouble free showing in Jerez, his Sauber C32 ground to a halt after his team opted to do a dry-fuel run.
Max Chilton rounded out the top 10, ahead of the Caterham. He completed 65 laps in the MR02 and ended the day four seconds off the pace. Caterham also created a red flag after Charles Pic ground to a halt, ending his day early.
The Leafield based team managed 49 laps before the break down, his best lap time of 1m27.534 being nearly five seconds off the pace.
The next week of testing at the Spanish GP venue should be very interesting indeed.
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