Password ‘pull the brake’, or create a high expectation-proof barrier. At the moment the fear of disappointing overcomes the temptation to show one’s cards, so everything is scaled down to the motto of ‘we are only at the beginning’.
As planned, after a first day in which the goal for all the teams was basically the verification of not having ‘macro’ problems of youth, the activity on the track started to be a little faster. We are not talking about qualifying simulations, but about sessions at a slightly faster pace.
Ferrari closed the day’s standings in first position with Charles Leclerc, who set the best time with the C3 tire one hour from the end of the afternoon session. With the same compound Sainz had finished the morning session in second place, preceded by Daniel Ricciardo who had however taken to the track with the C4. In the absence of elements to be able to judge the performances, since the teams run with ample room for improvement, the certain fact is that the SF-75 continues to grind kilometers as planned.
Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“To find out if it will be a really good start we will have to wait for the first race – commented Sainz – but at the moment we certainly have concluded two days of testing without experiencing any problems. This allowed us to complete the entire work program and cover a considerable distance, and I am happy to be able to complete all the laps I have done. Unfortunately for you guys, the show is not very exciting because we are nowhere near the edge of the car ”.
As often happens in these cases, it is the opponents who shift the spotlight on who is expressing themselves best, and the comments at the end of the second day of testing confirmed this. It cannot fail to be surprising to find Lewis Hamilton in last place, and even George Russell’s fourth position (on track in the afternoon session) does not seem to have convinced the Mercedes technicians very much.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
“We had a difficult morning with Lewis – confirmed Mercedes track manager Andrew Shovlin – he was experiencing a data recording problem that delayed our start and, in general, the setup was not ideal. We managed to complete a few laps, but unfortunately we also had a problem with a sensor which prevented us from carrying out any further work on the performance, so we brought the morning session to a close. “
George Russell, Mercedes W13
Photo by: Alessio Morgese
Russell had a more linear afternoon, but not as satisfying in terms of the behavior of the car.
“An orange and a red team seem very, very competitive – commented George, obviously alluding to McLaren and Ferrari – they seem to have everything under control and are good with low and high fuel load, as well as in tire management.
We know that the plans are different from team to team, but we also know that at the moment we are behind those two teams. Let’s wait and see, the championship is not awarded in the winter tests, let’s see what we will be able to do tomorrow, and what will be possible to do before going to Bahrain ”.
Mercedes appears to be one of the teams struggling with setup problems that are more important than their rivals. In the afternoon the team worked on the height of the car, improving the maximum speed data compared to the morning session, but still not satisfying the drivers on the setup front.
Red Bull RB18: Perez’s car is on the tow truck after the gearbox problem
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
At home Red Bull day with reduced distances compared to yesterday, also thanks to a gearbox problem that blocked Sergio Perez on the track (first red flag of the tests) half an hour before the lunch break. He is navigated by sight, but kilometer after kilometer you start to see some faces more smiling than others. These are very early indications, and as such they can be denied within a session, as was widely expected in the first test of a technically revolutionary season.
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