F1 - General discussion and 2017

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Hulkenberg's Renault keeps the fans (and those having to write live updates) entertained. © XPB

Grosjean fancies a late go as well, so he's out in the Haas. Sainz has set a personal best in the first sector. Let's see if he can keep that going and move up from seventh. He only needs a tenth or so to displace Perez.

Caliente Chilli. Sainz finds the time he needs to take sixth from Perez – it's a 1m21.872s on softs from the Toro Rosso man.
 
For Massa, it looks like his day's work is over as he prepares to hand over to Lance Stroll.

63 laps today takes Massa's total in the last one and a half days of testing (12 hours, to be precise) to an unbelievable 231 laps.
 
Late appearances from Bottas and Raikkonen. Last-gasp fliers before lunch? Five minutes to go.

Ultra-soft tyres for Bottas. What's he got in him?

Raikkonen, on softs, can't improve. He's 0.008s slower. Meanwhile, Perez is back out on super-softs.
 
Bottas clocks a time in the high-1m23s. He got us all excited for nothing but Perez has retaken sixth with that run on super-softs – it's a 1m21.297s from the Force India driver.
 
We're going to have a few members of the Over 50 club when we break for lunch shortly: Bottas, Massa, Hulkenberg, Grosjean and Wehrlein – but, it seems, not Perez, who has just pit at the end of his 49th lap!
 
Where are Red Bull?

Just flashes of the expected promise of the RB13 in the first five and a half days of testing, with the team most have expected to take on Mercedes in 2017 also behind Ferrari and Williams on the combined timesheet so far.

Here's what Daniel Ricciardo had to say to Rachel Brookes last night:

"The car is starting to come alive more," he told Sky Sports News HQ.

"At the moment there is no big secret or anything, it's not like there is another two seconds in our pocket. But we definitely feel we can get more out of the car, probably everyone can.

"Ferrari and Mercedes can obviously get more out of theirs too, but it's looking alright. I'm getting happier with the car."
 
Checkered Flag - That's it for the morning session – doesn't look like we'll get any late improvements, and it's Valtteri Bottas and Mercedes who end up quickest with the fastest time in testing so far.

Bottas' work is done
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Valtteri is back in the box. He's managed 62 laps this morning!
#F1 #F1Testing
 
1 Bottas Mercedes 1m19.310s
2 Massa Williams 1m19.420s
3 Raikkonen Ferrari 1m20.406s
4 Verstappen Red Bull 1m20.432s
5 Hulkenberg Renault 1m21.213s
6 Perez Force India 1m21.297s
7 Sainz Toro Rosso 1m21.872s
8 Grosjean Haas 1m22.428s
9 Wehrlein Sauber 1m23.000s
10 Alonso McLaren 1m23.041s

the following will be taking over this afternoon:

Hamilton Mercedes No time
Stroll Williams No time
Palmer Renault No time
Ericsson Sauber No time

Lunchtime digest:

* Bottas sets fastest time of testing so far when running on supersofts

* Williams continue to impress as Massa records quickest time seen on ultrasofts so far

* Limited running again for McLaren

Several cars coming round for a practice start: Raikkonen, Sainz, Wehrlein, Grosjean, Hulkenberg and Bottas.

BACK IN ONE HOUR!
Pretty smooth and quiet session, drivers can now form up on the grid to do a practice start.
 
Tyre talk

F1 journalist Dan Knutson in Barcelona:

In the first four days of testing the teams were getting used to the new Pirelli tyres, and Pirelli was seeing how its new tyres worked on the new cars. Now in test two it is time to speed things up.
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“This test will be more focused on tyre performance,” Pirelli’s Mario Isola said. “The weather seems to be good – so more representative – it’s a bit warmer [than at the first test]. We are especially interested in understanding the level of degradation on the delta lap time – all the numbers that are useful.

“Also to give use some idea on the future choices. In a couple of days we have to announce the choices for the next three races, so it is important that we collect data to be sure that we have a good show and different strategies with the new regulations.”

Pirelli has already revealed what tyre compounds will be available up until the Russian Grand Prix, so the races in Spain, Monaco and Canada are the choices Isola is referring to.
 
ALL IS QUIET
Drivers are still digesting their lunch it seems, there's no dash to the track.

Five minutes in, and still nothing. We need a people's champion.
 
Ambient temperature has hit 18.5C and exceeded track temperature (17.2C). Hmm. Interesting.

That's probably to be expected as the sun has broken through and the track's been silent for OVER AN HOUR.
 
While there's a lull, here's reminder of who did what this morning. These are the times post and laps completed by the 10 drivers...

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A CAR!

PEREZ! Force India, we're telling you. People's. Champion.

Perez has super-soft tyres bolted onto his Force India so hopefully he's going for a crowd-pleasing first run.
 
Perez posts a 1m22.839s, comfortably the fastest time we've seen in this afternoon session.

He then follows it up with a 1m22.873s, comfortably the second-fastest time we've seen in this afternoon session.
 
Williams has sent Stroll out for the young Canadian's first run of the second test. Very good, Williams, but you had your chance to be the hero. Maybe next track lull.

Perez falls into the 1m23s on his third lap of this run. He had a good end to the morning, jumping to sixth at the end, and is looking to build on that momentum here.
 
Stroll's on the board with a lap, as he stays out to start a flier. Obviously he's set a personal best first sector – but we're still enthusiastic about it because at least something's happening.

Perez through again, and it's another 1m23.1s.

It's a 1m24.072s for Stroll first time round.

Perez, a 1m23.1s. This session commentary writes itself!

Stroll's on soft tyres and his last lap was a 1m31.878s. As is the pattern of testing, we're expecting him to follow that up with another 'push' lap.
 
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