F1 - General discussion and 2017

[caroper]

Ericsson also out on softs and (presumably) not far away from posting his first time of the day.

 

[caroper]

On his next lap, Bottas shaves around a second off his previous effort, but remains 10th - two places ahead of Ericsson, who gets on the board with a 1m27.767s.

 

[caroper]

Good news for Sauber fans, as Ericsson knocks some seven tenths off his personal best second time round. Bottas meanwhile a few hundredths shy of his best that time round.

Vettel is back out in the Ferrari, and sets a purple middle sector...
...but it's only a 1m20.355s in the end, 0.629s slower than Massa, after an average final sector. That was on soft tyres again.

Yet more good news for Sauber fans as Ericsson improves to a 1m26.198s, although that's still 1.4s behind the next slowest car, which is Palmer in the Renault.

 

[caroper]

Two of the top three, Williams and Ferrari, back on track now, along with the Mercedes of Bottas and Sauber of Ericsson.

And the Ferrari is pushing hard towards 100 laps....

The Swede is still at it: a 1m25m779s brings him to within a second of Palmer, although he fails to capitalise on a personal best first sector on his next lap.

 

[caroper]

Another personal best from Sebastian Vettel as he continues on the soft tyres. A lap of 1:20.355 keeps him within six tenths of the Williams.

The Ferrari's lap times are now heading into the 1:21 territory before he returns to base for a break.

Just how fast will that Ferrari go when the Scuderia let it loose on the ultrasoft and supersoft tyres?

 

[caroper]

I hour in:

1. Massa Williams FW40 1:19.726 82 ●
2. Ricciardo Red Bull Racing RB13 1:19.900 +0.174 52 ● PIT
3. Vettel Ferrari SF70-H 1:20.355 +0.629 94 ● PIT
4. Hamilton Mercedes W08 1:20.456 +0.730 49 ● PIT
5. Ocon Force India VJM10 1:21.347 +1.621 72 ● PIT
6. Magnussen Haas F1 VF-17 1:21.676 +1.950 54 ● PIT
7. Kvyat Toro Rosso STR12 1:21.965 +2.239 45 ● PIT
8. Bottas Mercedes W08 1:21.988 +2.262 10 ●
9. Vandoorne McLaren MCL32 1:22.698 +2.972 34 ● PIT
10. Wehrlein Sauber C36 1:23.336 +3.610 47 ● PIT
11. Palmer Renault RS17 1:24.790 +5.064 15 ● PIT
12. Hülkenberg Renault RS17 1:25.081 +5.355 5 ● PIT
13. Ericsson Sauber C36 1:25.703 +5.977 11 ● PIT

1. Massa 289.5 0
2. Vettel 288 0
3. Ricciardo 285.7 0
4. Hamilton 282.7 0
5. Magnussen 281.9 0
6. Kvyat 279.7 0
7. Ocon 279.7 0
8. Wehrlein 279.7 0
9. Bottas 279 0
10. Vandoorne 276.2 0
11. Ericsson 274.1 0
12. Palmer 272.7 0
13. Hülkenberg 0 0

 

[caroper]

RENAULT BACK OUT ON TRACK
After a power unit change, Renault are back out with Nico Hulkenberg at the wheel after Jolyon Palmer drove the RS17 this morning.

Hulkenberg does a 1m25.307s second time round on mediums, moving him clear of Ericsson. Bottas, on softs, meanwhile sets a 1m21.988s.

Hulkenberg with another improvement, a 1m25.081s moves him closer to team-mate Palmer in P11.

In comes the German now, leaving just Bottas and Massa on track.

 

[caroper]

It looks as though Williams have switched to heavier-fuel, longer running for the afternoon.

In fact, that appears to be the case for the majority of teams with only Sebastian Vettel's 1:20.355 from a little earlier resembling what you'd consider a reasonably competitive time so far this afternoon.

 

[caroper]

A post-lunchtime Video update from Rachel Brookes as Day One at Barcelona continues.

Just what is going wrong at McLaren?
http://www.skysports.com/iframe/wid...KKfszdm#ooid=FqZ3g2YTE6YfQ4IGCGH07oaQCKKfszdm

 

[caroper]

Not many personal best laps going through at the moment but Nico Hulkenberg has got himself on the board, posting a modest 1:25.081.

He's 12th, ahead of only Marcus Ericsson.

 

[caroper]

Ricciardo heads out on track in the Red Bull - nice to see the boys from Milton Keynes aren't bothering trying to hide the RB13 from prying eyes with those daft screens we saw last week.

Vettel now out on track as well, making it a whole four cars for the massed ranks in the main grandstand to enjoy thundering past.

 

[caroper]

Setup changes on the RB13 explains Daniel Ricciardo's absence since lunch, but the Australian is ready for another track outing now.

And indeed the only teams on track are: Red Bull, Williams, Ferrari and Mercedes.

Red Bull Racing‏
@redbullracing
After a prolonged lunch and set up changes on the car, @danielricciardo prepares to head out for the second #F1Testing stint of the day

 

[caroper]

The track gets even busier now as Magnussen and Ocon both leave the pits, although Massa is back in the garage with 90 laps now on the board.

 

[caroper]

View attachment 422152
A few people wanted to speak to Eric Boullier a short time ago, as McLaren-Honda's troubled start to testing continued. Pic: LAT

 

[caroper]

Vettel is the first driver to set 100 laps. He currently sits third on the timing screens.

 

[caroper]

Just 49 laps for Lewis Hamilton this morning for Mercedes and, speaking to the media in the lunchbreak, the Briton admitted the W08 hadn't been handling at its best:

"It wasn't feeling great today, but that's just with set-up and it's quite hot today as well so tyres degrading and things like that," he told Sky Sports News HQ.

"And we had some damage to the floor, but I didn't have any offs or anything like that, which is a good thing. I did see puffs of smoke from other people going off, but I managed to keep it on.
"Just a bit of an awkward balance today and I think the tempeartures are a bit higher today, so it's harder on the tyres. Perhaps not having the car really in the window, but also having damage to the floor meant there was good corners and not-so-good corners. So they're working on that to make sure Valtteri has a clean afternoon.

"I'm not particularly excited at the moment, just because it's the first day of week two and I didn't get a lot of running this morning, so I'm looking to the next couple of days."

 

[caroper]

It's not Ricciardo but former Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel who is on the charge here, though, with a 1:20.296 the German's best time in the Ferrari today.

He's still on the soft tyre, only 0.3s behind Ricciardo's ultrasoft effort.

 

[caroper]

Still no sign of that McLaren MCL32 post engine change...and perhaps we won't see it again for some time yet.

Stoffel Vandoorne is currently in the team's hospitality unit wearing civvies rather than his race suit.

 

[caroper]

There's a fan unfurling a 'Carlo55ainz' banner on the main grandstand. He or she will be disappointed to learn that Sainz isn't due back on track until tomorrow.

Hulkenberg back out in the Renault again now, the mediums are once again the tyres of choice for the Enstone squad.

 

[caroper]

Ferrari are certainly racking up the miles this winter - another 100 laps have been added to the SF70-H's tally so far here today.

Vettel's quickest soft-tyre lap today is half a second off the ultimate timesheet pace still being set by Williams, who are just 10 laps away from a Day One century themselves.