Barcelona I, day 1: Team and driver quotes

Toro Rosso

Carlos Sainz (Car 55):

“I end the day with a positive feeling after my first outing at the wheel of the STR12. Everything felt good and I’d say we’ve made a big step forward compared to last year in terms of downforce and grip – I felt it straight away during the first laps of the morning and it put a smile on my face. Of course it wasn’t the smoothest of days and we would’ve liked to complete more laps, but you know that this is always going to happen on the first day testing a brand new car. All in all, a decent first day and it’s great that the season has finally kicked-off!”

James Key (Technical Director):

“It’s good to finally get started after such a long winter, completing 51 laps. Although we had to stop a little bit earlier with a bit of a niggle on the front of the car, we will get this sorted for tomorrow. The main priorities today were to get miles on the car and to do the basics right, so we did some aero work in the morning and after that we went through a long list of basic checks on our new car, considering there are so many things to learn. It was really all about laps and fundamentals today, and it will be the same tomorrow with Daniil. The good news is that, a part from the usual first-day glitches, nothing has caught us out and everything behaves in the way we think it should. The driver feedback has been close to expectation and generally quite positive so I think that, for a first day of testing and although we would’ve liked to do more laps, we can’t complain at all. We didn’t do any performance running – that will come later on.”

Haas F1

Kevin Magnussen took his first laps for Haas F1 Team on Monday at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya. The 24-year-old from Roskilde, Denmark, hit the track promptly at 9 a.m. local time and was the first driver to tour the 4.655-kilometer (2.89-mile), 16-turn track. When the day was complete, Magnussen had racked up 51 laps behind the wheel of the Ferrari-powered Haas VF-17 to log 237.405 kilometers (147.517 miles).

Magnussen’s best time was a 1:22.894, earned on his 44th lap with a new set of Pirelli P Zero Yellow soft tires. The quick time put the third-year Formula One pilot fourth among the 11 drivers participating in the opening day of testing.

Magnussen began the morning session with a series of reconnaissance runs, first using the Pirelli P Zero Orange hard tire before transitioning to the Pirelli P Zero White medium tire. His best time in the morning was a 1:26.404, secured on his penultimate lap in the session. His final lap involved a spin in turn 10 that pitched the nose of the Haas VF-17 into the barrier, breaking the nose. The rest of the car was unharmed and Magnussen was able to drive it back to the garage, whereupon the team replaced the nose during the lunch break.

Four separate runs were made in the afternoon session, with Magnussen using the White mediums for stints of nine laps and five laps, respectively, before a switch to the Yellow softs in the final hour of testing. With the softs affording the most grip, it was no surprise that Magnussen secured his fastest time of the day.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton set the day’s quickest time (1:21.765) and Scuderia Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel ran the most laps (128).

Kevin Magnussen:

“We had a few issues, but the good thing is that they were small issues. Even though they stopped us from some running, it wasn’t something that is at all worrying for the coming days. It’s kind of the typical baby problems you have with the cars when they’re completely new. Except for that, the first feeling of the car is nice. It’s good to finally get that feeling of the car after looking at it, and all the anticipation for the faster cars. It’s a good feeling. Today’s been a day I’ve enjoyed a lot.”

Gunther Steiner:

"The plan was to do more, but that’s how the first day goes sometimes. We had a few issues, but that’s normal. They are to be expected when you have a new car and we sorted them out. We are here to learn and that is what we did. Our learning process is a lot better than last year because our people have worked together for a year now and we know more about the car. We are a lot better prepared.”

Magnussen remains in the Haas VF-17 through Tuesday, with teammate Romain Grosjean in the car Wednesday and Thursday to finish out the first week of testing. After a four-day break, teams return to Barcelona for the second and final round of preseason testing March 7-10. Magnussen drives March 7 and March 9 and Grosjean drives March 8 and March 10.

Sauber

The first day testing ahead of the 2017 FIA Formula One Championship was productive for the Sauber F1 Team. Marcus Ericsson was behind the wheel of the Sauber C36-Ferrari mainly doing aero tests in the morning session. Later on, the focus was on set-up work. The Swede was able to get a first impression of the new Sauber C36-Ferrari while completing 72 laps overall.

Marcus Ericsson

“It is great to finally be back in the car again after a long winter. The new car was fun to drive, and it is nice to feel that there is more potential. We had some minor issues, but on the other hand it was the first time we were running the car properly. Overall, it has been a productive day. I completed 70 laps overall, which is a good effort for test day one. Now we need to go from here to have a successful first week of testing. The two main areas, which I feel are the biggest differences compared to last year are that the car is faster in high-speed corners and the braking performance is better.”

Tomorrow, Antonio Giovinazzi will be behind the wheel of the Sauber C36-Ferrari for the second testing day on the Circuit de Catalunya.

Force India

Sahara Force India’s VJM10 made its track debut today with Sergio Perez behind the wheel. The team completed a busy programme in the morning, before technical issues cut the day short.

Sergio Perez:

“It was a day of two halves. The morning was very productive: we managed to do a lot of what we had planned and we tried some different set-up options and tyre compounds. Things were looking quite positive throughout the morning and we had the chance to learn a lot from our new car. Unfortunately we didn’t run in the afternoon as a precaution and that cost us some track time. Hopefully tomorrow we can make up the lost ground with Esteban in the car: with a solid day, we can complete the rest of our programme and move forward with the plan.”

Tom McCullough, Chief Race Engineer:

“The morning went largely to plan as the VJM10 completed its first few laps. We built up the mileage on the car, doing short runs at first and then increasing the lap count. This allowed us to complete the basic systems checks on the car. We also started some aero mapping and got a useful first understanding of the 2017 tyres. Our work was cut short with an exhaust issue and we ended the day early as a precautionary measure. We are looking forward to tomorrow, when Esteban is in the car for his first experience of the VJM10.”

Mercedes

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport kicked off the first pre-season test of the 2017 season today at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton taking turns at the wheel of the Mercedes-AMG F1 W08 EQ Power+

Valtteri emerged for his first run as the track opened at 09:00, completing 79 laps before the hour-long lunch break at 13:00

Lewis took over in the cockpit for the afternoon session, completing 73 laps before the pit lane closed at 18:00

Today’s programme focused on aerodynamic and vibration data analysis, followed by long runs to better understand the performance of the 2017 Pirelli tyres, with both drivers completing similar programmes.

Mercedes-Benz Power Units today completed a total of 1,369km.

Lewis will take the wheel of the W08 tomorrow morning, with Valtteri behind the wheel in the afternoon on the second day of pre-season testing in Barcelona

Valtteri Bottas:

It was a very good first morning for us. We were doing quite a lot of mechanical tests, checking systems, while trying to do mileage. We did 79 laps, more than a race distance, which is very good for the first morning of running. If we are going to face any issues with the car I hope we can face them now. That’s why we did more than a race this morning. That was our target.

We worked on long-runs, trying to gain all the information we could from these conditions. We didn’t really care at all about lap times today. As a team we still have many more important days ahead of us. The main thing to do is to get the mileage in and the car had no issues. The guys have done an amazing job over the winter. I only started just over a month ago, but the way the car has been running is impressive. It’s a good feeling.

I did a few laps at Silverstone, but now this is proper testing. It was very special to do the first few laps. This is a new era for Formula 1. The car feels very different to last year. You can definitely feel the impact of the new regulations – the increased loads, the bigger, heavier cars, and more grip. I think they look great. They’re great fun to drive and they’re fast in the corners too. Racing is still unknown, but so far so good. Physically the cars feel more demanding, but luckily I am well prepared for the season ahead.

Lewis Hamilton:

It’s been a good day, a really positive day for the team. The car looks fantastic and it feels great. We did lots of laps and collected loads of information today, so we can try to improve the car as we move forward. We’ve not done any work to get the balance perfect yet, as today was all about ticking off the list of checkpoints and racking up mileage.

I definitely put my body to the test today. These test days are like training. It was good to feel the wider, beefier car. It’s faster, more physical… it’s a beast! You’ve got to drive it a bit differently. It’s so much better than last year’s cars. The G-Forces are definitely higher. We’re pulling two more G than we’d usually pull around here. There’s so much more downforce, which is something you always want as a driver. You always want to go faster through the corners.

The tyres are so hard that they don’t drop off. Most likely we’l l be doing more one-stoppers. Normally you get a lot of degradation with these tyres – but these ones don’t degrade. They’re very consistent, and there’s not a big difference between the feeling on the first lap and the last lap.

Over the next few days we’ll start to look to improve the car. I still think we’re the team to beat – but we have a lot of work ahead of us to do, the same as every single team on the grid. Right now we’re just focusing on our own job to do the very best that we can.

Renault F1

Renault Sport Formula One Team completed its first day of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with Nico Hülkenberg behind the wheel of the R.S.17.

Nico completed 57 laps of the track, with the R.S.17 running reliably. Car and driver did spend more time than planned in the garage, however, whilst modifications were made to the front brake ducts. Nico ran solely on the medium compound Pirelli tyre, setting a best lap time of 1min 24.784secs. Today was the car’s second track appearance, following a promotional filming day on Saturday February 25, also in Barcelona.

Jolyon Palmer will be in action tomorrow.

Nico Hülkenberg:

“It was an exciting first day with a new team and a completely different type of Formula 1 car. It feels very different out on track with a lot of new aspects to discover as we’re at the start of a steep learning curve. The car certainly feels faster than those to the previous regulations and it is fun to drive. You certainly realise you’ve got more downforce in the corners. It wasn’t the most trouble-free day, but it’s been a good start in my new home.”

Nick Chester, Chassis Technical Director:

“Even though we didn’t get as many laps as we wanted, it’s been a productive first day of the test for the R.S.17. We have made good progress in terms of understanding the balance required for these new cars and we have a good direction for tomorrow. It was great to have Nico in the car and we ended the day with a long run to give us a good amount of data to work over. We did lose track time whilst we rectified some issues with the front brake ducts, but we have that in hand. Overall, we learnt a lot today.”

McLaren

A delayed start to the 2017 testing programme for McLaren-Honda. After successfully completing an installation lap shortly after the track went green at 09:00, an anomaly was detected in the power unit, which was identified as an oil systems issue. In order to trace the problem, a full investigation is required, so the team elected to change the power unit and examine it further once out of the car.

This meant the car was unable to run again in the morning session while the team worked to swap the power unit. Once the new power unit had been installed, Fernando was able to return to the track at approximately 16:00 to re-commence the run plan for the day.

In the afternoon session, the team managed to complete 29 laps, focusing on data correlation and systems checks, in line with the usual programme for the first day of a test.

FERNANDO ALONSO

“Obviously today hasn’t been the most perfect start to winter testing, which is a little bit disappointing. We lost a lot of track time which isn’t ideal at pre-season testing, but the situation is what it is, and there’s nothing we can do. It’s important that we learn from it and don’t repeat the same thing, and try to make up some time in the next couple of days.

“There’s not much to gauge from the car at the moment after only 29 laps, since the first few laps of any running on the first day consist of installations and the necessary systems checks. I’m looking forward to having a proper day of running and hopefully we’ll then be able to make some more conclusive evaluations.

“It’s too early to fully assess the performance and the feeling of the new cars under the new regulations, but at least aesthetically they look much more like Formula 1 cars should look. Let’s wait and see what happens in the next few days, but I’m very motivated and ready for the new challenge.”

ERIC BOULLIER

“Of course, it’s disappointing to have encountered issues so early in the running, but this situation is not too unusual with a brand-new car. It’s better to have these issues here than in Australia. Honda is investigating the problem carefully in order to find the proper solutions, so we need to let them do that before drawing any premature conclusions.

“We had a filming day yesterday which went fine, so today is a bit of a setback, but the team worked hard during the morning session to get the car back up and running as quickly as we could following the power unit change. It’s encouraging that we were able to continue our programme in the afternoon and get some laps under our belt – that’s the most important thing.

“It’s just the first day, so let’s wait and see. We’ve shown some progress in the past two seasons, and I hope we can continue seeing progress this year, too.”

YUSUKE HASEGAWA

“This morning, we detected an oil systems issue during Fernando’s installation lap. In the interest of time we decided the best course of action was to change the PU.

“Based on initial investigations, we think the issue is related to the shape of the 2017 oil tank, but it requires further investigation before we can confirm this.

“In the afternoon, we were able to continue with our test programme for today. We will continue our efforts through the night to improve the situation for tomorrow’s running.”

Williams

Rod Nelson, Chief Test & Support Engineer

It was a very good day. It was a fillip for the guys who have been working on the car. We had a very straightforward day, particularly in the afternoon. We did some pretty good tests – short runs, long runs, compared the soft and medium tyres. We are still getting to know the FW40, so it is an interesting time of year and it is looking pretty reasonable at the moment. There is a massive amount to do, particularly this year with the huge regulation changes. The tyres are going to take a lot of time getting to learn with the different compounds and sizes. There is a good chunk more downforce on the car. It’s a change for the drivers as their driving technique is quite different with this amount of grip, and the way we look after the car is different too, however the winter preparation seems to be paying off.

Felipe Massa

Today was a good day. The first day of the test is always one where you hope everything on the car works well and that it’s reliable, and with 103 laps on the board I’d say that wasn’t bad at all. In the morning, we made a few set-up changes and checks so we knew that everything on the car was working in the right way. There was some waiting around whilst that was done thoroughly. That said, the lap count racked up in the afternoon after all those initial checks and changes were carried out. It’s early to say where we are whilst we’re still in this learning stage, but I’m really enjoying driving. There’s much more grip and they go much quicker in the corners. We can brake much later and reach high speeds much quicker. Overall, it was a great first day which is really positive for the whole team. We completed more than 100 laps and I really hope we learn new things day by day and prepare ourselves as best as we can for the first race in Australia.

Red Bull

After an intense winter of preparation, Red Bull Racing’s 2017 challenger, the RB13, made its track debut in Barcelona today as testing for the new season got underway at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. After a morning in which the gremlins associated with our new number caused a couple of time-consuming technical issues, the team managed return the RB13 to the track in the late afternoon, with Daniel Ricciardo posting a solid total of 50 laps and the day’s fifth-quickest time.

“Today’s session was okay, I felt I got up to speed relatively quickly,” said Daniel. “We had a bit of a slow start this morning but the afternoon was better and the last two hours were more like a test. It’s nice to end the day on a bit of a positive. There’s still a lot more to come from the car and you have to remember that the track is cold and the tyres are probably not at their optimum temperature. However, the times Lewis was setting today were already quicker than the times in Qualifying last year, so for sure it’s going to be faster. It’s cool for now but I think we will get a lot quicker from where we are today. We’ll hope to make steady steps tomorrow when Max is in the car and then we can start to do some more trimming.”

Head of Race Engineering Guillaume Rocquelin added: “Obviously we lost quite a bit of time today, which was frustrating. That was largely a function of the issues we had – a sensor problem this morning and then a problem with the energy store later on. Both are hard to access, so required some time to sort out. It meant we didn’t get real track time until around 4pm, but after that we ran without issue. The fixes we put in place cured the issues and we should be good to go tomorrow again. Daniel managed 50 laps in the end and what we saw during that period was encouraging. The inevitable question you get asked on day one is: ‘is it quick, is it a front-runner’, and I’m afraid the rather dull answer to that question is ‘we’ll have to wait and see’. It’s a cliché but we won’t know the real answer until Saturday in Melbourne. Until then we just have to keep our heads down, stick to the plan and the performance will come. That process continues tomorrow.”