The Asian Age

Vettel gets Ferrari off to strong start

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Barcelona, Feb. 18: Ferrari made a strong start to the first day of Formula One testing on Monday with four- times world champion Sebastian Vettel top of the timesheets at lunchtime with 72 laps completed.

The Italian team won six of the 21 races last year, finishing overall runners- up, and are hoping the new SF90 car can end Mercedes’s five- year strangleho­ld on both championsh­ips.

Vettel’s fastest lap of one minute 18.161 seconds, on a sunny morning at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, was already quicker than anything set during the weather- hit first four- day test of 2018.

The German was also nearly two seconds faster than the best of the rest.

Racing Point’s Mexican Sergio Perez was next on the timesheets, with a 1.19.944, on a day when mileage mattered more than outright speed as teams get to grips with their new cars for the first time and focus on getting in plenty of laps.

Reigning champions compatriot Fernando Alonso, completing 56 laps with the sixth fastest time.

Red Bull, now powered by Honda after their split from Renault, managed 52 laps with Dutch driver Max Verstappen in action.

The Finn was fourth fastest at the lunch break.

Only nine of the 10 teams appeared on track, with struggling Williams failing to get their car ready on time and not expecting to test until Wednesday at the earliest.

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