Barcelona Pre-Season Test – Day 1: Mercedes and Ferrari get off to a strong start, McLaren gets off to a flying start

The initial findings are now established in Montmelo, for the kickoff of the new version of Formula 1! At the top of these, the world champion team in title has made it clear from the start.

Mercedes and Ferrari set the first benchmarks

Lewis Hamilton’s effort this afternoon allowed the W08 to be placed at the same level as its predecessor at the end of 2016: at the top. It was during a stint on soft tires, shortly after 4 p.m., that the Briton seized the lead, with a time of 1:21:765. A year ago, Sebastian Vettel only clocked in at 1:24:939 at the end of the first day! The sheer performance is therefore (already!) exciting. In general, it reveals the aerodynamic capabilities of the new cars on a circuit often considered very indicative of a F1’s overall performance.

As during the last private test sessions, the Brackley firm shared the roles. Valtteri Bottas discovered the Silver Arrow this morning before giving way to number 44 after the mandatory lunch break. This collective effort allowed the team to comfortably exceed the hundred-lap mark: 152 laps precisely. Bottas completed 79 laps, compared to 73 for Hamilton. Often on soft tires, the Finn made no mistakes within his new team.

Scrutinized closely, its mount temporarily succumbed to the shark fin. That being said, the finesse of this aerodynamic appendage stands out very clearly from the rest of the pack! In the same vein, we found a car with a small T-shaped device, located halfway between the shark-shaped fin and the rear wing. This aerodynamic element is intriguing and has already been copied by two other teams: Williams and Haas have similarly evolved with the said process.

But in any case, Mercedes’s domination in the standings was not overwhelming. Just behind, by a little over a tenth, Scuderia Ferrari was one of the very good satisfactions of the day. At the wheel of the SF70H, Sebastian Vettel was a monster of consistency: covering 128 laps all by himself! The four-time world champion even took the luxury of leading the dance for a few moments, with a time of 1:22.791, achieved just before noon. The lap time is all the more interesting because it was set only on medium tires! Vettel drove almost the entire day on these tires.

Unlike last year, the Italian team initially prioritized consistency over pure performance. The afternoon was nevertheless slightly calmer on this side of the garage. Perhaps it was time for Vettel to rest, with these much heavier and more physical cars to drive.

Third, Felipe Massa also showed good form for Williams. The experienced Brazilian gradually increased his pace, while also reaching the 100-lap mark.

McLaren and Red Bull fill the chapter of mishaps.

Further on, the gap is large both in terms of pure performance and consistency. The McLaren-Honda team almost single-handedly embodies the setbacks of this first day of testing. The Japanese engine acted up, with an oil system failure occurring on the very first lap. Specifically, a new, smaller and lighter tank was at the heart of the problem, which kept the MCL32 in the garage for long hours.

#F1Testing update: after an oil systems issue stopped play this morning, we’ll be back out on track this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/8esjGfaQd8

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) 27 février 2017

A complication described as unexpected by Eric Boullier himself. A comedown for Fernando Alonso who couldn’t really compete with his car. He had to wait until the end of the day to bring his total to 29 laps, the worst score among the 11 drivers involved this Monday.

On the Red Bull side, they will also regret the lost time. While Mercedes and Ferrari immediately provided diligent work, the Austrian car stopped after just its fourth lap. An unexpected halt between turns 3 and 4 caused the first red flag of the morning. According to Christian Horner, it’s a series of small, persistent issues that affected the RB13.

We will mainly point out two difficulties: a battery failure and a defect in an engine sensor. Nevertheless, the team principal wanted to be reassuring: these issues are not major. To compensate, the end of the day was conducted at a fast pace: Daniel Ricciardo saved the situation by securing 5th position but, more importantly, completing a total of 50 laps.

Another newcomer in his team, Kevin Magnussen also experienced some scares at the wheel of the new Haas. Stopped at the beginning of the pit lane in the heart of the morning, his new mechanics first had to push him back to the garage. Then, the Dane encountered a brake issue, a recurring problem for the American team. Spinning at turn 10, he damaged his front wing. This mishap, however, did not significantly affect his program. Competitiveness was even present, with a fourth-place finish after a lap completed on soft tires.

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At the bottom of the table, Sergio Pérez was plagued throughout the afternoon by exhaust problems. He is ahead of the elegant Toro Rosso, which starts smoothly with Carlos Sainz’s eighth place. Second to last, Nico Hülkenberg did not encounter major difficulties on his first day in the Renault.

Finally, the dunce cap for performance is held by Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber, which lapped a full 5 seconds behind Vettel’s Ferrari on the same medium tires.

For the anecdote, five drivers exceeded the official Grand Prix distance in Barcelona, which is 66 laps.

The complete ranking of the day: