Barcelona Pre-Season Test – Day 3: Bottas breaks circuit record!
If there was any doubt, Valtteri Bottas once again confirmed that Mercedes would be there for the new season. By smashing the track record with a time of 1.19.705, the Finn was ahead of Sebastian Vettel and his Ferrari, just two and a half tenths off the pace on softer tires than the Silver Arrow.
Since the beginning of the first winter tests, we eagerly awaited confirmation of the regained speed of the new generation single-seaters.
That’s how it happened, on the third day with this new track record set by Valtteri Bottas and his Mercedes at 1:19.705. Achieved on Super Soft tires with purple stripes, the Finnish driver’s lap demonstrates that Mercedes has not rested on its laurels over the winter and is thus offering an extremely fast single-seater.
This fine performance was accomplished under the knowledgeable and amused gaze of the newly-retired yet reigning world champion, Nico Rosberg, who came to visit his former team, where he still serves as a luxury ambassador.
So, what do you think of the 2017 Silver Arrow, @nico_rosberg?#F1Testing #F1 @F1 pic.twitter.com/7hvOBzkZeO
— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) 1 mars 2017
Behind Bottas, the pleasant surprise comes from Sebastian Vettel and his Ferrari, who, by clocking a time of 1:19.952 on soft tires, offers promising prospects for the Scuderia. Even though the German was forced to stop on the track five minutes before the end of the day, there were smiles within the Italian team’s camp.
But beyond the performance, it is indeed the reliability of the Mercedes that impresses the competition the most. With no fewer than 170 laps completed today between Bottas and Lewis Hamilton, the Silver Arrows are showing a form that already worries their rivals.
The #W08 marches on… 💪@LewisHamilton = 95 laps@ValtteriBottas = 75 laps
170 laps in total on Day 3 in Barcelona 👊#F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/i7Wf0FM6FN
— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) 1 mars 2017
As outsiders, the Red Bulls are slightly behind today with Daniel Ricciardo’s third fastest time, already a second and a half behind Bottas. He is ahead of the two Renaults of Palmer and Hülkenberg. The Briton is ahead of his new teammate despite a small mistake and an off-track excursion in the morning.
Lewis Hamilton, only seventh of the day, focused on race simulations with Soft tires. He nevertheless outpaced drivers like Romain Grosjean and Carlos Sainz, who encountered various difficulties: mechanical issues for the Frenchman and an off-track excursion for the Spaniard.
43 laps on the board for Fernando so far today. He's discussing set up changes before taking to the track once more. #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/GMJ2tbMSvl
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) 1 mars 2017
Finally, Fernando Alonso’s McLaren was able to complete laps without any issues today after two catastrophic initial days due to the precarious reliability of the Honda power unit. Without really pushing for performance, the double world champion focused on gathering important information for the upcoming tests.
At Williams, it was a rather grim situation with a new off-track excursion from the very young Lance Stroll, who ultimately managed to complete over 90 laps. The learning curve seems challenging for the Canadian, however.
The complete ranking of the day:
Final times and lap counts from Day 3 in Barcelona@ValtteriBottas puts in a scorching lap ⏱
Vettel puts in a double shift 😮 💪#F1Testing pic.twitter.com/ZmEbBd4xqc
— Formula 1 (@F1) 1 mars 2017
