Raikkonen fastest in wet-tyre test
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen posted the fastest time on a track artificially soaked to test wet conditions as Lewis Hamilton’s first week of testing fizzled to a premature end on Thursday.
Raikkonen’s best time of 1min 20.872 came late in the day in Barcelona as the track dried out after trucks dumped water on the surface overnight and again during the lunch break.
The Finn was also fastest on Tuesday and is hopeful Ferrari’s pre-season pace will continue come race time later this month.
Three-time world champion Hamilton didn’t even get out of the Mercedes garage as an electrical fault with his car prevented him from running as scheduled during the morning.
“Shame not to drive but it’s been a great few days. The guys have done an awesome job. Can’t wait to be back in the car next week,” Hamilton tweeted.
New Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas was way down the timesheets in eighth fastest for his 68 laps. However, his time of 1min 19.705sec on Wednesday remained the fastest for the opening week of testing.
British driver Jolyon Palmer
was third quickest for Renault.
BULLS HAND WARRIORS SECOND STRAIGHT LOSS
State, adjusting to life without injured Kevin Durant, fell to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, just the second time in nearly two years the Warriors have suffered back-to-back NBA regular-season defeats.
Jimmy Butler scored 22 points to lead four Bulls players in double-figures in the 94-87 triumph.
The Warriors’ points total was their season low, and they lost a second straight regular-season contest for the first time since April of 2015. The Warriors had fallen 112-108 to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, when Durant limped out of the game in the first quarter with what was later diagnosed as a left knee ligament sprain and bone bruise.