The second day of testing started in Barcelona in cold weather but still sunny. Once once more, Ferrari and McLaren marked the first hours of testing today. The first was the most prolific, and the second took the lead.
Carlos Sainz set a time of 1’20.546 which lasted most of the morning, and exceeded the 70 laps completed. .
Daniel Ricciardo also confirmed the good form of McLaren interviewed yesterday with 65 laps completed without problem. The Australian was finally able to discover the MCL36 in normal conditions, since he had only driven during the shakedown, and took the opportunity to take the best time at the end of the session in 1’20″355.
Pierre Gasly also discovered the AlphaTauri AT03 on the Catalan circuit and set the third fastest time with nearly sixty laps on the clock, which represents a very solid debut for the French driver.
Alex Albon and his Williams FW44 follow in the standings, with just over 40 laps completed, while Stroll is fifth. At Haas F1, the taxiing was finally able to be done in peace and Mick Schumacher exceeded the 60 lap mark in one morning, following a difficult day yesterday.
Barcelona’s first winter testing red flag
Sergio Pérez rode less than expected with 38 laps in the morning. The Red Bull RB18 was garaged for part of the morning, partly due to a rumored engine problem.
This was confirmed at the end of the session, when the Mexican had to immobilize his single-seater at the exit of turn 13, just before the third sector chicane. It was the first red flag of these winter tests, following a fluid day yesterday.
Red Bull received new parts this morning in the Barcelona paddock, including a flat bottom and many boxes that suggest that upgrades will already be installed on the RB18. The obligatory dismantling to fix the morning’s problem might allow the team to do so, although Pérez should suffer in terms of rolling.
Mercedes F1 drove less than yesterday, as the team had done more than 120 laps in the day’s total. Lewis Hamilton barely reached 40 laps during this morning’s run.
The W13 is said to still suffer from porpoising, a balance problem that causes the car to pitch excessively and thus lack grip. However, the team confirmed yesterday that the balance issue is known but they are working on it.
Esteban Ocon is last on the time sheet, but the French driver was able to complete 66 laps to discover the Alpine A522, which is a very good first experience at the wheel of his new single-seater.
On the other hand, the situation is still very worrying at Alfa Romeo. Although Valtteri Bottas set the seventh fastest time ahead of Ocon, the C42 spent most of the morning in the garage, with apparently similar problems to the day before.
The Finn has completed only 21 laps, which makes a total of 53 laps since yesterday morning. This followingnoon, Guanyu Zhou must take the wheel of the Alfa for the first time… if the mechanics allow it.
Find the photos of the 2nd day by consulting our gallery here. The gallery will continue to update until late tonight.
| Pos. | Pilot | Car | Time | Tours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren Mercedes MCL36 | 1:20.355 | 65 |
| 02 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari F1-75 | 1:20.546 | 71 |
| 03 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri RBP AT03 | 1:20.764 | 61 |
| 04 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW44 | 1:21.531 | 47 |
| 05 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR22 | 1:21.920 | 55 |
| 06 | Mick Schumacher | Haas Ferrari VF-22 | 1:21.949 | 66 |
| 07 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo Ferrari C42 | 1:22.288 | 21 |
| 08 | sergio perez | Red Bull RBP RB18 | 1:22.412 | 38 |
| 09 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W13 | 1:22.562 | 40 |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault A522 | 1:23.280 | 66 |
| 11 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR22 | – :—.— | 0 |
| 12 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams Mercedes FW44 | – :—.— | 0 |
| 13 | Nikita Mazepin | Haas Ferrari VF-22 | – :—.— | 0 |
| 14 | Guanyu Zhou | Alfa Romeo Ferrari C42 | – :—.— | 0 |
| 15 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari F1-75 | – :—.— | 0 |
| 16 | George Russell | Mercedes W13 | – :—.— | 0 |
