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With Pirelli requesting two days at the Paul Ricard circuit in order to test their 2016 wet tyres and intermediate tyre ranges; this is the first time we have seen action on the track since the post-season test at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.
With the teams not allowed to run or test any parts on their cars in preparation for the 2016 season, many will be wondering how the three teams; McLaren-Honda, Ferrari and Red Bull will perform.
But the first day of the wet weather test saw Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo set the quickest time.
Ricciardo put in a lap time of 1.08.713. McLaren test driver Stoffel Vandoorne was 0.4 seconds behind and second quickest ahead of Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari in third place who was 0.9 seconds behind Ricciardo.
However, McLaren didn’t finish its programme from Pirelli as Vandoorne stopped out on track shortly before the close of play due to a problem with the Honda engine. His McLaren returned to the pits on the back of a flat-bed truck.
Both Red Bull and Ferrari completed 10 sets of 10-lap runs on a full-wet prototype tyre. In total; 285 laps were covered across the three teams.
The two-day test has been organised by Pirelli in order to test their wet weather tyres; the track at Paul Ricard was artificially soaked by sprinklers and each car left the pits at 10-seconds intervals, circulating for roughly 10 laps before returning to the pits so the track could be soaked again.
Pirelli has been working on a combination of different compounds, different tread depths and configurations, but as the temperature at the south of France venue never rose about 10 degrees centigrade conditions were not ideal.
In preparation for the second day of the test, Sebastian Vettel will take over driving duties from Raikkonen at Ferrari, while Daniil Kvyat replaces Ricciardo at Red Bull. Vandoorne will complete the second day for McLaren.
Day One Timesheet:-
1. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1.08.713, 99 laps
2. Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren-Honda, +0.418s, 87 laps
3. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari, +0.924s, 99 laps
Keep your eyes peeled at Driving for Pleasure for our report on the final day of the wet weather test at the Paul Ricard circuit tomorrow evening.
Sarah Jones- @jonesy_laaa
