The Barcelona Circuit -officially called Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – is home of the preseason peregrination for the F1 teams. Since 2009, the FIA has reduced the number of collective testing days, and this year they are all held in Spain.
Fernando Alonso has been in the middle of media storm after his appereance in the Daytona 24 hour race last January. After he and Toyota confirmed also his presence in the WEC Superseason, the Spaniard will hit the track first in the brand new MCL33. He will alternate his testing days with Stoffel Vandoorne, at least in the first week of ontrack activity.
As for Ferrari, the Italians relay on Kimi Räikkonen. The Finn will be the first driver to test the new SF71H, and he will alternate his testing days with Sebastian Vettel. They are the clear challengers for the 2018 title, but it also depends on Mercedes.
The Brackley team has not confirmed yet their line-up for the next two weeks of testing. Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton had already driven the W09 in a filming day, but this test are way more important than 100 kilometers without decent tyres.
Red Bull has also a very static schedule. Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen will hit the track in alternation, with the sooner getting the first taste of the RB14. They are expected to be also challengers for 2018, and the Barcelona testing days are key to prepare for the 2018 season.
Robert Kubica will be also one of the drivers that the fans will come to see in Barcelona. The Pole returns to the paddock in a test-driver role for Williams, and he will test in the afternoon of Tuesday, February 28 and Thursday, March 1. Sergey Sirotkin and Lance Stroll will share the car throughout the week.
Force India also presents a different line-up. GP3 driver Nikita Mazepin and Canadian driver Nicholas Latifi will get their testing sessions in the first week. In the second, Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon are scheduled to share the car in order to be prepared for the forthcoming Australian GP.
| TEAM | MONDAY 27 | TUESDAY 28 | WEDNESDAY1 | THURSDAY 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes | Valtteri Bottas/Lewis Hamilton | Lewis Hamilton / Valtteri Bottas | TBA | TBA |
| Ferrari | Kimi Räikkönen | Sebastian Vettel | Kimi Räikkönen | Sebastian Vettel |
| Red Bull | Daniel Ricciardo | Max Verstappen | Daniel Ricciardo | Max Verstappen |
| McLaren | Fernando Alonso | Stoffel Vandoorne | Fernando Alonso | Stoffel Vandoorne |
| Force India | Nikita Mazepin | Esteban Ocon | Sérgio Pérez | Nicolas Latifi |
| Renault | Nico Hülkenberg/Carlos Sainz | Carlos Sainz / Nico Hülkenberg | TBA | TBA |
| Williams | Lance Stroll/Sergey Sirotkin | Sergey Sirotkin/Robert Kubica | Lance Stroll/Robert Kubica | Sergey Sirotkin/Lance Stroll |
| Haas | Romain Grosjean | Kevin Magnussen | Romain Grosjean | Kevin Magnussen |
| Sauber | Marcus Ericsson | Charles Leclerc | Marcus Ericsson | Charles Leclerc |
| Toro Rosso | Brendon Hartley | Pierre Gasly | Brendon Hartley | Pierre Gasly |
| TEAMS | TUESDAY 6 | WEDNESDAY 7 | THURSDAY 8 | FRIDAY 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Ferrari | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Red Bull | Daniel Ricciardo | Max Verstappen | Daniel Ricciardo | Max Verstappen |
| McLaren | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Force India | Sergio Pérez | Esteban Ocon | Sergio Pérez | Esteban Ocon |
| Renault | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Williams | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Haas | Kevin Magnussen | Romain Grosjean | Kevin Magnussen | Romain Grosjean |
| Sauber | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Toro Rosso | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
PHOTO | Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team