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Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas led the way during the third day of the opening test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo.
In yet another action-packed day, the McLaren-Honda team achieved their highest daily lap count yet with 72 laps but struggled for pace on the timesheet. McLaren and Honda started what they hope will prove a recovery in the five test days that now remain before the first race on March 26; despite rumours in the Spanish press that the relationship was on the rocks.
However Williams rookie Lance Stroll twice spun off the circuit, with his second incident ending in session-ending contact with the barriers. The teenage Canadian also spun out on his debut on Tuesday.
A spin into the gravel at Turn Three during the morning was then followed by a session-ending crash in the final two hours when he made contact with the tyre barriers exiting the tricky Turn Five.
Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz and Renault’s Jolyon Palmer also suffered spins to trigger red-flag periods, although the Englishman enjoyed a competitive morning session thereafter and finished with the fourth-quickest lap.
Although still 1.3 seconds adrift of the circuit’s outright fastest lap from the year before, the new-generation of cars are already three seconds quicker than last winter.
Mercedes’ Day Three speed represented the quickest lap recorded around the sweeping Barcelona circuit since the dominant Brawn GP cars of winter testing 2009.
But it was Valtteri Bottas who was fastest on the third day of the first F1 pre-season test with a stunning lap time of 1.19.705 and completed 75 laps. Bottas time was the quickest we have seen at the venue for over eight years; showing that F1 in 2017 is getting quicker and quicker all the time.
Bottas finished ahead of Sebastian Vettel in second place and ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in third place. Jolyon Palmer finished in fourth place ahead of Nico Hulkenberg in fifth place, Marcus Ericsson in sixth place and Lewis Hamilton in seventh place.
As we head further down the grid, Romain Grosjean finished the session in eighth place ahead of Lance Stroll in ninth place, Fernando Alonso in tenth place, Carlos Sainz Jr in eleventh place, Alfonso Celis in twelfth place and Daniil Kvyat in thirteenth place.
Day Three Timesheet
1) Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 1:19.705, 75 laps
2) Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1:19.952, 139 laps
3) Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1:21.153, 70 laps
4) Jolyon Palmer, Renault, 1:21.396, 51 laps
5) Nico Hulkenberg, Renault, 1:21.791, 42 laps
6) Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1:21.824, 124 laps
7) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:22.090, 95 laps
8) Romain Grosjean, Haas, 1:22.118, 56 laps
9) Lance Stroll, Williams, 1:22.351, 98 lapse
10) Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:22.598, 72 laps
11) Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso, 1:23.540, 32 laps
12) Alfonso Celis, Force India, 1:23.568, 70 laps
13) Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, 1:23.952, 31 laps
Keep your eyes peeled at Driving For Pleasure as we will be covering all the days of the pre-season F1 test at Barcelona with our daily reports.
Sarah Jones- @jonesy_laaa
