Verstappen making tracks in the morning on sixth day of testing

Published on 27 February 2019 by Mike Motilall

Max Verstappen started the sixth day of testing in Barcelona well. Despite the fact that the RB15 halted once, the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing-driver rounded up the morning session with no less than 69 laps to his name. A 1:18.395 brought the Dutchman the third fastest time on the leaderboard.

Under a clear blue sky, the lights on Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya turn green at 09.00 hrs. Almost everyone immediately reports on deck for an installation lap. Verstappen also appears on track after a few minutes, he even does numerous laps before returning to his team.

After running for an hour-and-a-half without any issues, the first red flag is a fact. Carlos Sainz is forced to park his McLaren even before entering Turn one due to an issue with the water pressure. By now, Max has done over thirty laps.

Another red flag is triggered as Verstappen, moments later, halts at the end of the pit lane. The RB15 is easily retrieved and the session is quickly resumed. However, the session is quickly paused again as Sebastian Vettel takes an off course excursion in Turn three. A technical issue would be the cause of his misfortune.

Thirty minutes later, the German’s Ferrari is retrieved and the drivers, with still over an hour left, are allowed back on track again. At that moment, Carlos Sainz is the quickest driver on track with a 1:17.144. He clocks his time on the red C5-tyres. Max sets a 1:18.395 with fifty laps to his name.

The remainder of the session goes by without a hitch. Verstappen finishes the session third fastest and has, despite the short delay in the morning session, lapped the track no less than 69 times in Barcelona.

The afternoon session will get underway at 14.00 hrs.

Pre-Season Test 2 - Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - Wednesday 27 February 2019