Vettel marathon impresses, as Williams absence raises concern
Vettel marathon impresses, as Williams absence raises concern
Sebastian Vettel drove nearly three Spanish Grand Prix race distances into his Ferrari SF90 as the Scuderia made the most of the first day of F1 pre-season testing in Barcelona, but the headlines came away from the circuit as Williams' woes plunged to new depths.
Vettel topped the largely immaterial timesheets, but it was his lap count that caught the eye, the German driving a huge 169 laps.
Also in triple figures were Mercedes – with running split between Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton – Carlos Sainz's McLaren, the Alfa Romeo of Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen, who hit 128 laps in Red Bul's first major run with Honda, despite a slow start to the day. Renault also hit three figures between Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo.
The first day back at school is officially over. Here’s what happened on day one of #F1testing @Circuitcat_eng???? pic.twitter.com/O6Kwid3Gki — Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) February 18, 2019
Red Bull boss team principal compared the Honda power unit to a Swiss clock during day one and the issues which had hampered McLaren-Honda in pre-season tests of the past were nowhere to be seen, suggesting Red Bull's bullish claims over the winter could be well-founded.
Sergio Perez managed just 30 laps for Racing Point, who are believed to not be running the car expected to feature in the season-opening race in Australia.
However, matters are much worse for Williams, who did not take part on Monday, and later revealed they are unlikely to run on Tuesday either.
According to BBC Sport, the wait could even stretch into Wednesday afternoon as the team desperately struggles to get the FW42 finalised. The BBC reported that the new car could be significantly slower than its 2018 predecessor, suggesting the Grove squad will once again be nothing more than backmarkers this year.
DAY ONE HEADLINES
Williams to miss second day of pre-season testing
'Red Bull will win races with Honda in 2019'
Ferrari's Vettel team orders admission a 'statement' - Wolff
Mercedes could leave UK in event of no deal Brexit
FROM THE TRACK
Toto Wolff says a no deal Brexit would have a “major impact” on the Mercedes team’s operations and would make it difficult for the team to remain being based in the UK. #F1Testing — Rob Watts (@robwattsf1) February 18, 2019
A further update from @WilliamsRacing - the car is currently still at the factory, but the intention is to run on Wednesday and it will be the FW42 in full 2019 spec. #F1Testing — Rob Watts (@robwattsf1) February 18, 2019
Change your timezone:
Latest News
FIA confirm penalty verdict after official PROTEST
- 17 minutes ago
F1 star apologises after China Sprint CLASH
- 1 hour ago
Alonso reveals MISTAKE cost him in shock Red Bull battle - Top three verdict
- 2 hours ago
F1 star accuses team-mate of ‘crossing the line’ in battle
- 2 hours ago
F1 team lodge FIA PROTEST over Chinese Grand Prix qualifying result
- 3 hours ago
Hamilton in 's*** happens' outburst after huge China failure
- Today 11:57
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860