Barcelona day 1: Max most productive driver with 94 laps

Published on 19 February 2015 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen set the sixth fastest time during the first day of the first Barcelona pre-season test. The Scuderia Toro Rosso driver lapped the Circuit de Catalunya an impressive 94 times, more than any other driver.

“The goal of this first day was to complete as many laps as possible so I know the car inside out before going to Melbourne”, explained Max. “It was also good to see I felt fine after completing over ninety laps, as Barcelona is hard on the neck muscles. So overall it was a really good day. I feel I’m constantly making progress in the car and I enjoy every lap in the STR10!” 

Max started his day with a couple of installation laps in order for the team to make sure the car was running as intended. About an hour-and-a-half into the morning session, the STR10 was then fitted with a frame full of sensors - to measure airflow - and Max is send out for his first flying lap. Shortly after, Max ventures on his first long run, lasting ten laps.

The 17-year-old switches to the medium Pirelli compound for his second long run. The tyres allow him to set a 1:27.951, his quickest lap of the 35 completed in the morning. After lunch, minor issues prevent Max from heading out on track immediatley. However, the team were able to iron out the hindrances and between 3 and 5pm, the youngster is able to punt in plenty of laps. Stints of twenty laps, with pit stops in between, result in Max completing 59 laps in the afternoon. In the end, he manages to improve on his morning time by clocking a 1:27.900.

“We didn’t get as much done in the morning as we would have liked, but in the afternoon, we picked up the pace and I completed almost a race distance. I’m very pleased about managing that, as it’s the first time I’ve done that many laps and it was a very useful experience. The same goes for the pit stops and the other race procedures that we practiced.”

Phil Charles, Toro Rosso's head race engineer, echoes his driver's optimism: “A productive start to our second test session of the winter, with Max having his first experience of Barcelona at the wheel of a Formula 1 car and he settled in smoothly. Apart from a small problem around lunchtime, the day’s programme went to plan. In the morning, we carried out some useful chassis tests, while the afternoon was given over to going through race procedures and pit stops, particularly useful for Max, but also for the team as a whole.”

Generally, pre-season tests are not the most action packed of events. However, a couple of situations stood out on the Thursday in Spain. Due to illness, reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton was forced to put and end to his day after only a dozen of laps. This meant Mercedes junior Pascal Wehrlein, who had driven the morning session for Force India, got the chance to drive Hamilton's Merc in order to complete the German manufacturer's testing program. Meanwhile, Force India regular Sergio Perez replaced Wehrlein in the afternoon.

On track, the most notable incident was a crash between Susie Wolff in the Williams and F1 rookie Felipe Nasr in the Sauber. The duo collided in turn five. It meant the Sauber mechancis had to fix a broken rear wing and a damaged rear suspension, gearbox and side-pod.

Meanwhile, Ferrari continued their fine form displayed in Jerez, with Kimi Raikkonen finishing second, only a tenth shy of Pastor Maldonado's fastest lap. The Venezuelan clocked a 1:25.011. It meant Lotus topped the leaderboard at the end of the first day at the Circuit de Catalunya.

On Friday, Carlos Sainz will drive the STR10. Max will be back in the new car on Saturday, for another full day of testing.

Second pre-season test - Barcelona day 1 - Thursday 19 February

 Pos   Driver                   Car             Time                    Laps
 1     Pastor Maldonado 	Lotus  		1m25.011s 		(69)
 2     Kimi Raikkonen 	        Ferrari  	1m25.167s  +0.156 	(74)
 3     Daniel Ricciardo 	Red Bull  	1m25.547s  +0.536 	(59)
 4     Sergio Perez 	        Force India  	1m26.636s  +1.625 	(34)
 5     Felipe Nasr  	        Sauber  	1m27.307s  +2.296 	(79)
 6     Max Verstappen 	        Toro Rosso  	1m27.900s  +2.889 	(94)
 7     Jenson Button 	        McLaren  	1m28.182s  +3.171 	(21)
 8     Pascal Wehrlein   	Force India  	1m28.329s  +3.318 	(32)
 9     Pascal Wehrlein 	        Mercedes  	1m28.489s  +3.478 	(48)
10     Susie Wolff 	        Williams  	1m28.906s  +3.895 	(86)
11  Lewis Hamilton 	        Mercedes  	1m30.429s  +5.418 	(11)

Via Twitter and Facebook we'll keep you updated throughout the test followed by a full report on Verstappen.nl at the end of the day’s action. You can find the schedule for the Barcelona test here. Don't forget to check out the Barcelona photo album.