FERRARI OFF TO STRONG START
FERRARI made a strong start to the first day of Formula One testing yesterday with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel top of the timesheets at lunchtime with 72 laps completed.
The Italian team won six of 21 races last year, finishing overall runners-up, and are hoping the new SF90 car can end Mercedes’ fiveyear 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 Mercedes, with Valtteri Bottas first behind the wheel of the silver W10, completed the second most laps – three fewer than Ferrari – with Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg doing 65. Former champions Mclaren also made a solid start with Spaniard Carlos Sainz, stepping into the shoes of departed 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.
Alfa Romeo, the renamed former Sauber team, had 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen in new overalls after leaving Ferrari and completing 46 laps after an early trip into the gravel that brought out the first red flag of 2019. The Finn was fourth fastest at the lunch break.
Russian Daniil Kvyat was slowest in the Honda-powered
Toro Rosso but did more laps than Romain Grosjean, who did only 18 for Haas, while Perez took Racing Point’s tally to 20.
Meanwhile, Williams are set to miss at least the first two days of Formula One’s opening pre-season test after failing to get their new car ready in time.
The former world champions said on Monday, as cars from the other nine teams lapped Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, that they were unlikely to get on track until the third day.
“It is looking more likely than not that we will now not be in a position to run on track until Wednesday at the earliest,” said deputy principal Claire Williams in a statement.
“This is obviously extremely disappointing, but it is unfortunately the situation we are in. We will be getting the FW42 on track as soon as we are able.” SCORES to hand from League matches played in the Frances Baard Cricket Association this weekend are:
SATURDAY
PROMOTION LEAGUE T20
Burma Lads vs Frank Roro BURMA LADS (3 wickets) .......................... 159 Batting: Nathan Plaatjies 20*, Ricardo Joseph 53, Carlo Alexander 36*, Extras 23. FRANK RORO (8 wickets) ........................... 38 Bowling: Ricardo Joseph 2/10, Steve du Plooy 3/2.
Burma Lads won by 121 runs.
RESULT:
CYM vs NCH Old Boys
CYM (5 wickets) .......................................... 128 Batting: Deswill Abrahams 28, Gershwin Keeble 48*.
Bowling: Wian Jacobs 2/28.
NCH OB (8 wickets) ..................................... 81 Batting: Ronsley Sauls 20, Wian Jacobs 23. Bowling: Donavan de Klerk 3/20.
CYM won by 47 runs.
RESULT:
PREMIER LEAGUE 50 OVERS
House of Cricket vs Yorkshire HOUSE OF CRICKET .................................... 65 Bowling: Kagisho Mohale 3/13, Sam Laven 4/9.
YORKSHIRE (3 wickets) ............................... 66 Batting: Aloysius Seleka 21.
Bowling: Lindwill Saunderson 2/6.
Yorkshire won by 7 wickets.
RESULT:
PROMOTION LEAGUE T20
Barkly vs Diamantveld
BARKLY (9 wickets) ..................................... 106 Batting: Ronnie Coetzee 22.
Bowling: Stefan Swart 2/12, Neil Marais 2/28, Francois Holtzhausen 4/25. DIAMANTVELD (9 wickets) ....................... 101 Batting: Erlank Barnard 20, Stefan Swart 26*.
Bowling: Ronnie Coetzee 2/15, Fransie Roets 2/28, Gerrit van Wyk 2/26, John Nel 2/18.
RESULT: SUNDAY
Barkly won by 5 runs.