Abu Dhabi Tests – Day 1 (morning): Bottas leads, McLaren-Honda breaks down
The first morning of the Abu Dhabi tests was dominated by Valtteri Bottas ahead of Nico Rosberg and Kimi Räikkönen. The McLaren-Honda did not leave the garage due to technical problems.
Valtteri Bottas set the fastest time in the morning session of the first day of the Abu Dhabi private tests.
The Finn recorded a time of 1:43.884, heading into the lunch break with a significant advantage of 1.2 seconds over Nico Rosberg. Mercedes indicated they were conducting aerodynamic and tire tests.
On the McLaren side, the MP4-29H with a Honda engine driven by Stoffel Vandoorne did not complete a single lap due to an electrical issue.
The third-fastest time has been set for the moment by Kimi Räikkönen, with 1:46.016 late in the morning. It is noteworthy that although Sebastian Vettel was unable to participate with the Scuderia in these tests, he is present in the garage to observe.
Carlos Sainz Jr is in 4th position, followed by a group of drivers in 1:48.0 with the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson, the Caterham of Will Stevens, the Force India of GP2 Champion Jolyon Palmer, and the Lotus of Charles Pic. Max Verstappen completed two laps of the Yas Marina circuit but did not set any time for Toro Rosso – the Dutchman having encountered a problem with his front suspension.
| N° | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
1 | Bottas | Williams Martini Racing | 1:43.884 | 38 | |
2 | Rosberg | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1:45.132 | +1.248 | 51 |
3 | Räikkönen | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:46.056 | +2.172 | 36 |
4 | Sainz Jr | Infiniti Red Bull Racing | 1:47.250 | +3.366 | 43 |
5 | Ericsson | Sauber F1 Team | 1:48.139 | +4.255 | 50 |
6 | Stevens | Caterham F1 Team | 1:48.155 | +4.271 | 50 |
7 | Palmer | Sahara Force India F1 Team | 1:48.350 | +4.466 | 18 |
8 | Pic | Lotus F1 Team | 1:48.711 | +4.827 | 42 |
9 | Verstappen | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 3 | ||
10 | Vandoorne | McLaren Mercedes | 0 |
