Bottas Quickest on Final Day of Testing in Barcelona

By FIA

Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas went quickest on the second and final day of Formula 1’s first in-season test, edging Ferrari’s Antonio Giovinazzi by six hundredths of a second.

The Finn set his quickest time of the day shortly before lunchtime, lapping the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in a time of 1:16.904. The lap, delivered on supersoft Pirelli tyres, capped a period in which he had traded fastest laps with Giovinazzi, though the Ferrari driver’s times were set on hypersoft tyres, two steps further along the softness scale of Pirelli’s compounds. The Italian driver, who yesterday drove for Sauber, took away the honour of the most mileage for the day, however, completing 148 laps of the circuit.

Third place on the timesheet went to current F2 championship leader Lando Norris. The Briton had tested a Pirelli test with McLaren on day one but moved to the team’s own test car and he jumped to third on the timesheet with a time of 1:18.039 set as the chequered flag was shown.

Norris was also one of a pair of drivers to bring out the red flags during the afternoon session when he stopped on track with a problem during an out lap.

Behind him in the order was the other red flagged driver, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen. The Dane delivered his best lap of 1:18.274 in the morning on hypersoft tyres. In the afternoon however he stopped on track between Turns 2 and 3 after the team noticed an issue and remained in the garage for the rest of the session.

Force India’s Nikita Mazepin took fifth spot, while F2 driver Jack Aitken ended his first Formula 1 test for Renault in sixth place ahead of Sauber’s Charles Leclerc and Williams’ Robert Kubica. Pierre Gasly finished ninth on a day split with tester Sean Gelael and the top 10 was rounded out by Stoffel Vandoorne who was driving the Pirelli test McLaren.

Another public F1 test debutant was Jake Dennis, who made a first appearance for Red Bull Racing, The GT racer and former F2 driver also acts as Simulator Development Driver for the Milton Keynes team and over 75 laps worked his way down to a best time of 1:20.440 set on mediums with tyres.

2018 Formula 1 In-Season Test 1, Barcelona – Day Two 
1 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:16.904 139
2 Antonio Giovinazzi Ferrari 1:16.972 0.068 148
3 Lando Norris McLaren 1:18.039 1.135 90
4 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:18.274 1.370 75
5 Nikita Mazepin Force India 1:18.344 1.44 112
6 Jack Aitken Renault 1:18.942 2.038 120
7 Charles Leclerc Sauber 1:18.993 2.089 139
8 Robert Kubica Williams 1:19.253 2.349 123
9 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 1:19.410 2.506 39
10 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1:19.914 3.01 96
11 Jake Dennis Red Bull 1:20.440 3.536 75
12 Sean Gelael Toro Rosso 1:20.763 3.859 83
13 Nicholas Latifi Force India 1:21.412 4.508 121