F1 - General discussion and 2017

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The rescue team is already on the scene for the stricken MCL32, which looks like it has stopped around the Turn 9 area. But the CCTV makes it difficult to be sure!
 
Looks like our day-seven trackside reporter @KarunChandhok gave Alonso the kiss of death. Blame him, McLaren fans.
 
he covered-up McLaren gets lifted onto the back of the truck. It's far from the first time we've seen this sight...
 
This is what we make the teams' lap count for testing so far:

Mercedes: 1114
Ferrari: 864
Sauber: 729
Williams: 715
Force India: 685
Haas: 662
Red Bull: 625
Renault: 534
Toro Rosso: 469
McLaren: 399
 
GREEN FLAG!
The McLaren has been taken away, the track is clear and we go back to testing.
 
This is what we make the engine manufacturers' lap count to be:

Mercedes: 2414
Ferrari: 2255
Renault: 1628
Honda: 399
 
Personal best, personal best...not an improvement.
Sauber driver Ericsson falls 0.004s short of matchin his best time, out there on ultra-softs.

Verstappen, on softs, has set the two best sectors so far...
 
Verstappen goes quickest on a 1m19.852s – on soft tyres.

That, by about half a tenth, is the quickest time from Red Bull in pre-season testing so far.
 
Bottas has improved in time but not position in the Mercedes – it's a chunky gain, 0.8s to post a 1m20.522s.

Grosjean jumped up the order with a 1m21.714s while our eyes were on Verstappen. The Haas driver's fifth quickest.
 
Only Ferrari have previously lapped below 1:20 on the soft compound this winter. It's also Red Bull's fastest time of testing.
 
Modest gains through the first two sectors for Bottas on his latest lap but it's slightly slower overall.
 
Only a very short run for Verstappen, although impossible to know of course whether he had more fuel on board that was needed for the few laps he did complete.
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Bottas pits after that run on super-soft tyres, then emerges again, then pits again.

Raikkonen, Ericsson and Sainz are all on track.

Raikkonen posts his best time so far, a 1m21.382s.

Sainz then eclipses the Ferrari, with a 1m20.896s.
 
Ericsson joins that flurry of improvements, getting down not with his bad self, but to a 1m21.670s.
That's also Sauber's fastest time from testing so far.
 
1 Verstappen Red Bull 1m19.852s
2 Hulkenberg Renault 1m19.885s
3 Stroll Williams 1m20.335s
4 Bottas Mercedes 1m20.522s
5 Sainz Toro Rosso 1m20.896s
6 Raikkonen Ferrari 1m21.382s
7 Ericsson Sauber 1m21.670s
8 Grosjean Haas 1m21.714s
9 Perez Force India 1m22.622s
10 Alonso McLaren 1m22.731s
 
Verstappen's out there and on an even faster lap...
super-soft tyres and a 1m19.491s for Verstappen. Red Bull joins the Ferrari/Mercedes party at the low-end of the 1m19s.
 
To put that effort of Verstappen in context, the fastest time of winter testing so far is a 1:19.310 by Mercedes and Valtteri Bottas while Sebastian Vettel put down a 1:19.314 for Ferrari yesterday.

Just a tenth between the 'big three'? Yes please.
 
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