The day was very important at the Circuit de Catalunya. Nearly three months after the ultimate Grand Prix of the 2015 season in Abu Dhabi, the 11 teams gathered in Montmelo in the Barcelona suburbs for the first laps of the season. Drivers, mechanics, and engineers will have until Thursday evening for four driving sessions to glimpse the first on-track prospects of their car.<\/p>\n
At precisely 9 o’clock in the morning, the first kickoff of the 2016 season was given. Carlos Sainz Junior in his Toro Rosso with a midnight blue design was the very first driver to take the track, which was still wet at that hour. The Spaniard was accompanied by Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo, and Jolyon Palmer. A rather reassuring sign was that the Renault Sport F1 Team did not miss the call of the first hour with its English driver.<\/p>\n
\n09:00, Barcelona. The R.S.16 is a GO. pic.twitter.com\/STYMMZSTfD<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) February 22, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The installation laps followed one after the other for most of the drivers. After 25 minutes, Daniel Ricciardo set the very first time of the season with a lap of 1:40.746. Nevertheless, it took an hour to see Romain Grosjean’s first lap on track with his Haas F1 Team. The moment was therefore solemn for the American team, even though the car had already been able to run this weekend as part of a shakedown.<\/p>\n
\nHere we gooooo !!!!<\/p>\n
#r8g<\/a> #f1<\/a> #wintertesting<\/a> #newtoy<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/0OiBWTX6UA<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Romain Grosjean (@RGrosjean) February 22, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The morning passed and the track was drying: the drivers gradually switched from intermediate tires to those intended for dry conditions. Sebastian Vettel was then focused on assessing his aerodynamic options, as evidenced by the large sensors mounted on the SF16-H.<\/p>\n
\nSebastian Vettel getting to grips with the new @ScuderiaFerrari<\/a> SF16-H early on in Winter Testing #F1IsBack<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/cu93qrk88r<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) February 22, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In terms of times, the best performances at midday were credited to Vettel and Hamilton. 1:24.939 for the German and 1:25.409 for the Englishman at the time when the lunch break was observed between one and two o’clock. It should be noted here that both cars were equipped with identical tires at the time of their best lap (mediums).<\/p>\n
Behind them, Bottas’s Williams posted a very respectable time of 1:26.019. However, the gaps are more significant with the rest of the pack: Daniel Ricciardo is in 4th place with a time of 1:26.704. The only interruption of the morning was when Romain Grosjean caused a red flag after losing his front wing on the main straight. The French driver was nevertheless able to return to his pit without any major incident.<\/p>\n
\n@RGrosjean<\/a> without a #frontwing<\/a> in his @HaasF1Team<\/a> #F1Testing<\/a> #F12016<\/a> #F1<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/0s3HZ457gr<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 sutton-images.com (@suttonimages) February 22, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Provisional ranking at midday:<\/u><\/p>\n
\nCLASSIFICATION: MORNING SESSION, DAY ONE #F1IsBack<\/a> #F1Testing<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/HvZ47hvWcu<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) February 22, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Ferrari got off to a good start on this first morning of running. But reliability and consistency seem especially present for the Grays, with 66 laps completed in 4 hours, already the equivalent of the 2015 Spanish Grand Prix held on this same track!<\/p>\n
In the afternoon, the hierarchy became fixed. Only Daniel Ricciardo repeatedly improved his morning time. The smiling Australian reached the level of times set by Bottas’s Williams, still with medium tires. Bottas’s Williams and Grosjean’s Haas remained discreet; it must be said that it was time for repairs on the American team’s side after the front wing issue. In the last positions of the standings, Pascal Wehrlein gradually improved his mark to surpass the best time of the Renault driven by Palmer.<\/p>\n
Beyond the early days, it was also interesting to hear the first sounds of the 2016 version.<\/p>\n
\nIt’s the sound we’ve all been waiting to hear \ud83c\udfce#F1IsBack<\/a> and the @WilliamsRacing<\/a> FW38 means business… \ud83d\udcaa https:\/\/t.co\/w03PxdqHbe<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) February 22, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And notably that of the R.S16:<\/p>\n
\nBACK ON (THE) TRACK@RenaultSportF1<\/a> are back, ladies and gentlemen…#F1IsBack<\/a> #F1Testing<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/1dvXthZxFK<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) February 22, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The afternoon was coming to an end and the day was fading, marking the final moments of this day of driving.<\/p>\n
Here is the final ranking at the end of this day of testing:<\/b><\/p>\n
\nTest 1, Day 1: done! 37 laps, plenty to be discussed, analysed, calculated, reviewed, processed, etc, etc. #TestLife<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/7KEiyXf3HJ<\/a><\/p>\n