Red Bull racing fastest and most productive on first test day
Published on 26 February 2018 by Stefan Meens
On the first day of the first pre-season test of the 2018 Formula 1 season, Daniel Ricciardo set the fastest time in Red Bull Racing’s latest car, the RB14. Max Verstappen’s team mate was quickest around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya ahead of Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) and Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari). More importantly, Ricciardo completed 105 laps, the only driver to break the centenary mark.
“It was a good day. The car was reliable, so all credit to the team for that. The morning was productive, the cold afternoon less so. It’s difficult to get the tyres to work in these lower temperatures. There’s also a new track surface which doesn’t provide a lot of grip when it’s cold.”
A big talking point on day one of the new season was the halo, installed on all cars. “It’s not actually that noticeable when driving. Getting in and out you do of course, but on track it’s fine. I was able to follow other cars as well as doing practice starts and still see the lights. I know it’s not pretty, but it’s not a hindrance.”
When the pit lane opens after lunch, several drivers swaps have taken place, with current world champion Lewis Hamilton driving the Mercedes instead of Valtteri Bottas. At Williams, rookie Sergey Sirotkin replaces Lance Stroll. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz heads out in the Renault, instead of Nico Hulkenberg.
Due to the temperatures dropping and, eventually, some light rain, the track stays fairly quiet. Only a few drivers head out. Most noteworthy is Fernando Alonso. After his McLaren lost a wheel in the morning session, the Spaniard managed to get his lap tally up to 51. Although completing only half the laps that Red Bull Racing covered, McLaren had a brighter start than Force India. The pink liveried outfit struggled and only managed 20 laps, the least of any team.
Pre-Season Test 1 - Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - Monday 26 February 2018
Driver Team Time Laps 1 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:20.179 105 2 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:20.349 +0.170 58 3 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:20.506 +0.327 80 4 Nico Hülkenberg Renault 1:20.547 +0.368 73 5 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:21.339 +1.160 51 6 Carlos Sainz Renault 1:22.168 +1.989 26 7 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:22.327 +2.148 25 8 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1:22.371 +2.192 93 9 Lance Stroll Williams 1:22.452 +2.273 46 10 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:23.092 +2.913 55 11 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:24.897 +4.718 63 12 Nikita Mazepin Force India 1:25.628 +5.449 22 13 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 1:44.148 +23.969 27
