Raikkonen makes splash as Hamilton sits tight
BARCELONA: 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 – unlike in 2016 when they failed to win a Grand Prix.
“I’ve got the feeling that we learned some lessons from last year and at the moment we can’t complain,” said Raikkonen.
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 did manage to run in the afternoon, but was way down the timesheets in eighth fastest for his 68 laps. However, Bottas’s time of 1min 19.705sec on Wednesday remained the fastest for the opening week of testing.
“Unfortunately the day was a little bit shorter than we were hoping for, but overall it has been a very good four days for us,” said the Finn, who has stepped in after world champion Nico Rosberg abruptly retired from the sport.
“As a team we really made the most out of this week. We’ve done a lot of mileage and I learned a lot.”
In a recurring theme over the first few days of pre-season testing, Red Bull were the best of the rest behind Ferrari and Mercedes as Dutch wonder kid Max Verstappen was second fastest.
“I think Mercedes might still have an advantage on us in terms of power at the beginning of the season but we’ll be catching up,” warned Verstappen.
British driver Jolyon Palmer was third quickest for Renault.
The beleaguered McLaren team had a more positive day in terms of mileage as Belgian rookie Stoffel Vandoorne completed 67 laps, but F1’s fallen giants remain well off the pace.
Williams also called an early end to their first test after damage suffered to the FW40 in rookie Lance Stroll’s crash on Wednesday. The second and final four- day test before the season- opening Grand Prix in Australia on March 26 also takes place in Barcelona, from March 7 to 10. — AFP FORMULA One’s faster and more powerful cars for 2017 were put through their paces for the first time in Barcelona this week. Here, AFP Sports looks at five things we learned from the first four days of preseason testing:
- Mercedes still in front
The more things change, the more they stay the same. After three years of total dominance, even a drastic overhaul of the sport’s rules hasn’t stopped Mercedes from setting the pace. Valtteri Bottas showed he can prove an able replacement to retired world champion Nico Rosberg by posting the best time of the week and since 2009 at the Circuit de Catalunya in 1min 19.705sec. Bottas and Lewis Hamilton were also carrying out race simulations whilst some at the back of the paddock were struggling to get out of the garage on the first two days.
- Ferrari pace encouraging
However, those hoping for more of a contest at the front of the grid this season will have been encouraged by the early signs from Ferrari’s SF70H. Kimi Raikkonen was fastest on Tuesday and Thursday, whilst Sebastian Vettel outpaced Bottas when both were on the same soft tyre compound on Wednesday.
- McLaren woes continue
If Mercedes’ dominance has become predictable, then so have the woes of a former championship contender in McLaren. Two years on from joining forces with engine supplier Honda, McLaren look further off the pace than ever. More unreliability problems meant McLaren were second last when it came to laps completed and only Toro Rosso were slower once they did get on the track.
- Faster cars pose physical toil
Hamilton admitted on Tuesday to having “bruises and bumps where I’ve never really had them before” as a result of the increased physical toil in dragging bigger and heavier cars at much greater speed. Rosberg claimed the “monstrous” new machines would make the drivers “proper gladiators” and warned races could be decided on who is the fittest and strongest driver. “We might even see drivers losing race wins because of just being game over physically and that’s what we need,” said the German.
- Barcelona not the place for rain
The need for tyre manufacturer Pirelli to try out their new wet and intermediate tyres on Friday led to the unusual situation of water spraying up behind cars bathed in the Barcelona sunshine. With no help from the elements, and no sprinkler system on hand, huge trucks dumping gallons of water were needed to create the artificial wet surface both overnight and again in the lunch break between morning and afternoon sessions.
I’ve got the feeling that we learned some lessons from last year and at the moment we can’t complain. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari driver