Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas set the pace on first day of F1 Barcelona in-season test with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat in the Top 3.
Bottas led the way in the morning session at Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, and improved further to set a 1m15.511s lap time on the C5 compound to lead the standings from Leclerc (1m17.322s), who set his best time on the C2 compound.
The Finn completed 131 laps with the Monegasque undertaking 132 in the end. McLaren’s Carlos Sainz was third in the morning session but the Spaniard was pushed down to sixth in the afternoon when Kvyat improved to a 1m17.679s (C4) to be third.
The Russian 121 laps with the Spaniard completing 64 as he then handed the car to teammate Lando Norris in the afternoon. Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg (1m18.051s, C3) was fourth with 68 laps ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Pierre Gasly (1m18.284s, C3).
The Frenchman’s day came to an early end when he caused a red flag after stopping on track but he did 118 laps in all. With Sainz (1m18.263s, C2) in sixth, it was Haas’ Pietro Fittipaldi in sixth (1m18.326s) and Racing Point’s Nick Yelloly (1m18.361s, C5) eighth.
It was a late improvement from both Fittipaldi and Yelloly as they completed 103 and 111 laps respectively. In ninth was Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel (1m18.425s), who was testing for Pirelli with 133 laps as the Top 10 was rounded out by Norris (1m18.567s, C3) with 44.
Racing Point’s Sergio Perez (1m19.719s), who was also doing a Pirelli tyre test, was 11th with 118 laps as F2 racer Callum Ilott (1m19.819s, C2) in the Alfa Romeo Racing finished 12th. But the British racer’s day ended early after a crash at Turn 3.
The Ferrari junior was unhurt but he could only complete 41 laps on his first time in a F1 car. The standings was rounded by Williams’ Nicholas Latifi (1m20.670s, C2) with 134 laps – the maximum from all.
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