There is no rest at the Formula One Test Days at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Wednesday has been a record day, both as regards the number of drivers on the track – a total of 13 adding the morning and the afternoon sessions – and the time clocked by Finnish Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas: 1:19.705. The German team got all the attention off the track as well, as they welcomed a distinguished visitor, World Champion Nico Rosberg.
The regulation changes have not only led to larger and faster single-seaters. They are also more difficult to handle, they demand more effort at the wheel and the drivers must therefore be in better shape than ever before. “This year we will have gladiators rather than drivers behind the wheel, because the new cars will take them to the limit of their strength and some of them will be already exhausted during the last laps of a Grand Prix”. These are the words of the current World Champion, Nico Rosberg, a luxury spectator attending the tests today at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The German explained that “it is the first time I see the new cars on the track, and they are really gigantic and aggressive. Everybody is thrilled and the drivers like the changes a lot. It is clear that Mercedes designed a good car and I hope that they will be the best team again”.
Today, Wednesday, the German team was the quickest, thanks to the stratospheric time clocked by Valtteri Bottas on ultra soft tyres in the morning. His best lap time of 1:19.705 is faster than the overall Grand Prix record at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with the current layout, which is held by Rubens Barrichello since 2009, with 1:19.954. And we aren’t even halfway the tests yet, so this great feat will probably be short-lived. A clear proof of the huge step forward made by F1 this season.
In the afternoon, and in order to dose the efforts, Mercedes got Lewis Hamilton onto the track, with the intention of making a Grand Prix simulation. The British driver made 95 laps, which added to the 75 laps covered by his team-mate, make a total of 170 laps for the silver team, once again the most active team of the day. Individually seen, the hardest worker was Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) with no less that 139 laps and the second fastest time of the day: 1:19.952, on soft tyres. However the Scuderia ended the day with a nasty taste in their mouth due to a problem that made their car stop in the middle of the main straight.
Several teams decided to imitate Mercedes today and to divide the test into two parts of four hours each, distributed equally among their drivers. These were Toro Rosso (Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz) and Renault (Jolyon Palmer and Nico Hulkenberg). As regards the rookies, today was the turn of Mexican driver Alfonso Celis (Force India) and Frenchman Romain Grosjean (Haas), with 71 and 56 laps each.
Young Lance Stroll had to learn the hard way again and crashed his Williams single-seater against the wall in Turn 5 in the afternoon. This was his third accident of the week. But as opposed to yesterday, the Canadian was able to lap a lot, making almost one hundred laps.
Fernando Alonso was news again, this time for having been able to make quite a good use of the time. After the frustrating first day due to a failure of the power unit in his McLaren machine, the Spaniard was able to make 72 laps and to test several types of tyres, including the ultra soft compound. However, his times are still far behind the top times and he had to settle for a modest 1:22.598, i.e. the tenth fastest time, almost three seconds behind the top. A significant figure.
His fellow-countryman Carlos Sainz jumped into the Toro Rosso machine in the afternoon, although he was only able to drive a couple of hours, because a breakdown forced him to park the single-seater in Turn 4. His modest balance was of 32 laps and a time of 1:23.540, 4 tenths faster than his team-mate Daniil Kvyat who made 31 laps in the morning.
Visit of FC Barcelona Lassa
The players of the FC Barcelona Lassa indoor soccer team visited Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya at noon. The team members made a lap around the service tracks of the circuit and walked along the paddock, where they were able to meet several drivers and to touch the new Pirelli tyres. “It is spectacular to be able to watch the cars so close and at this speed. Being able to experience Formula 1 up close has been a great experience”, explained the team captain, Paco Sedano.
Tomorrow, rain simulation
Tomorrow, Thursday, the teams will have the chance to test the compounds that Pirelli has manufactured to drive on wet conditions. This afternoon and early in the morning, the asphalt of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is going to be watered with non-drinkable water. A frenetic track activity is therefore expected from 9 o’clock in the morning and until the ambient temperature has dried the track.
This will be the last day of the first Formula One Test Day week. The second week will be from 7 to 10 March. Spectators will have free admission with their tickets for the FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 2017, as well as Circuit Members and Officials. For the rest of the fans, the tickets for the test days can be purchased on the Circuit website and in box offices 1 to 3 for 18 euros.
