Barcelona I, day 4: Team and driver quotes

Mercedes

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport completed 68 laps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Thursday, as the first pre-season test of 2017 concluded in Spain.

Lewis had been scheduled to run the W08 EQ Power+ in the morning but an electrical fault forced him to sit out the opening session

Valtteri jumped into the car in the final hour before the lunch break at 13:00, managing nine laps and adding another 59 in the afternoon to take his total for the day to 68 laps before the pit lane closed at 18:00

In the afternoon session, Valtteri completed the team’s first run on the Wet and Intermediate tyres before rounding off the test with tyre analysis on the dry compounds

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport completed a total of 558 laps (2,597km) this week in Barcelona

The Silver Arrows will return to the track next week in Barcelona for the second pre-season test of 2017

Valtteri Bottas:

“Unfortunately the day was a little bit shorter than we were hoping for but overall it has been a very good four days for us in Barcelona. As a team we really made the most out of this week- we’ve done a lot of mileage and I learned a lot.”

“Today we did some good running on the extreme wets and the intermediate tyres, before crossing over to the slicks. It was interesting to test in the damp track conditions and we got some very useful information about the intermediate tyre. We ended the day completing long runs on the slicks, to build up our understanding of the tyres ahead of Melbourne.”

“I’ve really enjoyed working with the team this week. Once again, all the mechanics and engineers have done a great job, and thanks to everyone at the factory, because the car has run so well.”

Sauber

During the final test day, the Sauber F1 Team was able to work through another extensive programme. Day four of test one was dedicated to wet tyre testing in the morning and again in the afternoon session with Antonio Giovinazzi behind the wheel of the Sauber C36-Ferrari. Besides testing the wet and intermediate tyres, the soft and ultrasoft tyres were also used once the track dried. In total, the Italian ran 84 laps.

Programme: tyre work, set-up work focusing on performance

Antonio Giovinazzi:

“It was another positive day. We were able to test different tyre compounds on wet and dry tyres. I am overall satisfied with the two testing days, during which I was able to run a good amount of laps and to gain more experience.”

What comes next:

Next week, from the 7th to 10th March 2017, the second winter test will take place again at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona.

Force India

Sahara Force India ended its first week of testing as Sergio Perez completed 82 laps on a wet-to-dry Circuit de Catalunya.

Sergio Perez:

“It was a positive week and I think we made a good step forward with understanding the VJM10 and finding the limit of the tyres. I feel more confident in the car; I have learnt a huge amount and I think my preparation is going to plan. We can be pleased with this last day of testing: we covered a lot of ground and we found some more performance. Hopefully next week we can be in even better shape. There is still a lot of work to be done, but I’m optimistic for Melbourne already.”

Tom McCullough, Chief Race Engineer:

“Getting a new car on track is the end result of a long process, one that took the hard work of hundreds of people back at the factory and trackside. We are happy with how this week has gone and I want to say a big ‘thank you’ for the incredible efforts of everyone here in Barcelona and in our facilities in Silverstone and Brackley. We have been able to build up good mileage and iron out some of the inevitable teething problems that you get with a new car. We are confident we have made some important steps forward in understanding the VJM10 and the new Pirelli tyres, and we are looking forward to next week’s test, when we will focus more on performance and race simulations.”

Toro Rosso

James Key (Technical Director):

“Unfortunately Daniil only did an out/in lap this morning. We then suffered an engine related stoppage which lasted for the rest of the day. The week has been both encouraging but also frustrating with the missed running time. However we will now plan our recovery for next week and hope to make up for lost ground!”

Franz Tost (Team Principal):

“We arrived in Barcelona at the start of the week with a wonderful new livery and we were quite excited to start the new season. We were hoping to have completed many more laps than what we’ve actually done during this first pre-season test. Unfortunately, we couldn’t complete our programme because of some reliability issues. Therefore, we are missing some data, especially regarding the softer tyres. Having said that, when the car has been out on track we’ve got a very promising feedback, so we just need to keep working hard with our partner to sort out all the reliability issues. Both Carlos and Daniil have got to grips quickly with the STR12 and are gaining confidence rapidly. Their impressions has also been generally quite positive. All in all, it’s been a bit of a bumpy ride to begin with, but we are confident that we will get everything under control next week during the second test in order to be ready for the first race of the season in Australia.”

Red Bull

The final day of the first test in Barcelona marked a departure from the past three days’ activity, with the track being made wet in order to conduct testing of Pirelli’s intermediate and full wet 2017 tyres. Max Verstappen took over driving duties from Daniel Ricciardo and after testing both wet weather compounds, the Dutchman also got in some dry running on the soft compound tyre to record the day’s second fastest time with a lap of 1:21.769.

Looking back on his day’s work, and his time in the RB13 over the course of this first test, Max said: “It’s always good to run a little bit in the wet in the first week of testing. Of course, the conditions are not ideal, as the sun is shining and the track is wet, but at least we got a first idea of what the wet tyres are like. In terms of the week as a whole, the most important thing for us was to make mileage and to know that all the parts were holding up. In general everything behaved pretty well. I think Mercedes might still have an advantage on us in terms of power at the beginning of the season but we’ll be catching up. For sure the car will change quite a bit before we get to Melbourne, as it will for everyone.”

Head of Race Engineering Guillaume Rocquelin added: “While I don’t imagine anyone would say the conditions today were perfect, as some parts of the track were dry and others wet, it was still a very interesting exercise. We’re discovering new things all the time about the tyres and how they interact with the car – warm-up, degradation levels etc – so we did find out some things we wouldn’t have unless we had been through this process. Like everybody, we did most of our wet running in the morning and then later on we had the chance to get in a bit more work on slicks, which was useful. We chose not to run when the track was damp as there wasn’t really much point and we thought we might also have a recurrence of yesterday’s exhaust problem, though that turned out not to be the case. In all, it was a good test. Yes, we had a few problems, which cost us some track time, but the fundamentals are good: car control is good, the balance is good, the feel is good. That’s a good platform for next week when we’ll get into race simulations and working on the best set-up for the car. For now, though, it’s back to the factory for a pretty intense weekend of homework.”

Haas F1

The culmination of preseason testing’s first week at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya saw simulated wet-weather running for tire-supplier Pirelli to get a better gauge on how this year’s new, wider tire would perform. The current tires augment the 2017 technical regulations which feature a drastically different and advanced aerodynamic package that is designed to create a higher level of downforce. Tires are now 25 percent wider than they were in 2016, with the front tires increasing to 305 millimeters (12 inches) and the rear tires growing to 405 millimeters (15.9 inches).

A fully soaked track greeted teams as testing began anew at 9 a.m. local time. The Pirelli Cinturato Blue full wet was the tire of choice to start the session, with Haas F1 Team driver Romain Grosjean recording nine laps. But as the sun rose and the track began to dry, teams transitioned to the Cinturato Green intermediate tire. Grosjean ran on intermediates for 26 laps until the track was dry enough for slicks.

With a relatively dry track, Grosjean set out for an eight-lap run on a used set of Pirelli P Zero White medium tires. With less than 10 minutes remaining before the mandatory lunch break, the team bolted four new Red supersoft tires onto the Haas VF-17. Grosjean hit the track for five laps, securing his best time of the morning session on his 49th and final lap – a 1:22.739 that put him second overall, .434 of a second behind Scuderia Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen.

Water trucks doused the track again during the lunch break, forcing teams back onto the full wet tire to start the afternoon session.

Grosjean knocked out 69 laps in the day’s second half, smashing the 56 total laps he earned on Wednesday. And just as he had in the morning session, Grosjean ran through Pirelli’s tire lineup as track conditions evolved.

Nine laps were run on the full wet tire with 19 laps on the intermediate. By 4:20 p.m. local time, the track was ready for a return to slicks and the team put four new White mediums on the Haas VF-17. During the swap from intermediates to slicks, Haas F1 Team crew members practiced numerous pit stops, for the car isn’t the only component that needs to be ready for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix March 26 in Melbourne.

Riding on slicks for the day’s final 100 minutes, Grosjean tried out different setup configurations. His best time of the afternoon turned out to be his best time of the day – a 1:22.309 on his 111th lap with a set of Red supersofts that nicked his best time from the morning session by .430 of a second. The lap put Grosjean fourth among the 10 drivers who participated in the day’s test.

Grosjean led the day in laps, tallying 118 tours around the circuit, 25 more than second-best Räikkönen. It marked the second time Haas F1 Team ran the most laps this week in testing, as teammate Kevin Magnussen also ran 118 laps on Tuesday, 10 more than Räikkönen, who ran the second-most laps that day as well.

While Räikkönen was second in the lap count, he was first on the board. He set the day’s quickest time with a 1:20.872.

After four days of testing at Barcelona, Haas F1 Team racked up 343 laps for a total of 1,596.665 kilometers (992.122 miles). Magnussen secured 169 of those laps (786.695 kilometers/488.83 miles) on Monday and Tuesday, and Grosjean accounted for 174 laps (809.97 kilometers/503.292 miles) on Wednesday and Thursday.

Romain Grosjean:

“It’s been a productive day for us. We managed to get some wet running, inter running, pit stop practice, dry running and trying a few setup changes that we had thought about overnight. The car is getting better and better. The team is doing a great job. Our pit stops looked pretty good. We’re trying to understand as much as we can. Of course, this is winter testing and it’s never going to get close to the conditions we have over a race weekend but, generally, I think we’ve made some good progress today. Hopefully, we can analyze all of that over the weekend and come back stronger next week.”

Gunther Steiner:

“Quite a good day today. A lot better than yesterday. We got a lot of data. Romain was able to drive the car for longer stints and get a good feeling for it. We made good progress, even running on the wet, which was not ideal, but we made the best out of it. Now we need to get ready for test number two. Reliability has, obviously, been good. This year we’ve had very few and very small problems. Compared with last year, it’s been a lot better. That is how it should be. Ferrari did a very good job this year with the power unit package. It’s been very reliable. The engineers will now go over the data and the comments from the drivers, and out of that we will establish a test plan for next week. We know a lot more about the car now than we did four days ago. Now we can make the next step and hone it out, make it better.”

With the first week of preseason testing in the books, teams get a four-day break until returning to Barcelona for the second and final round of preseason testing March 7-10. Magnussen drives the Haas VF-17 March 7 and March 9, and Grosjean takes the controls March 8 and March 10.

Renault F1

Renault Sport Formula One Team concluded the first week of pre-season testing with both Nico Hülkenberg and Jolyon Palmer taking to the wheel of the R.S.17 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Nico started his day on a damp but drying track using Pirelli’s wet, intermediate and then the soft compound dry tyres. He completed the most laps of any driver in the morning session - 51 - with a best lap time of 1min 24.974secs. The team then changed the power unit ahead of Jolyon taking to the track in the afternoon with what was by then a primarily dry track surface. Over the course of 39 laps - using the intermediate and then the soft and medium compound dry tyres - Jolyon set the day’s third fastest time, a 1min 21.778secs.

Interruptions: Power unit change, rear wing change.

What’s Next?

Stripping and rebuilding of the R.S.17 ahead of next week’s second test commencing on Tuesday March 7. Both drivers will drive on each day of the test, with Jolyon taking to the wheel first on the morning of Tuesday.

Jolyon Palmer:

“It was another good afternoon even if I didn’t get much of a chance to try the wet tyres. We’ve continued to improve the car and that’s exactly what you want to achieve from pre-season testing. I think we can be really happy with where we’ve got to at the end of this first test and we’re definitely looking positively to next week. The car is improving all the time in terms of feel and pace with more to come than has been seen on the timing monitors so far.”

Nico Hülkenberg:

“We completed a reasonable amount of laps in the morning, however the track dried pretty quickly so it was difficult to come to too many conclusions about the wet and intermediate tyres. We got some initial impressions on how the car reacts and feels on these tyres so we do have a starting point. The R.S.17 feels good so far, but we still have room for improvement and that’s what next week is about. We have a good starting point and base so we just need to work forward with more track time.”

Cyril Abiteboul, Managing Director:

“We have learnt a lot over the course of this first test. It has been rewarding for the team to work with Nico for the first time in the car and both him and Jolyon have given us positive feedback regarding the R.S.17. Our teams back at Enstone and Viry-Châtillon have worked tremendously hard to produce the R.S.17 and we have seen the first glimpse of its potential this week. Our engineers have made strong progress over the past four days and we are confident that we will continue to do so over the course of the next test too.”

Ferrari

The first winter test session has come to an end. Over the four days, the Scuderia Ferrari drivers completed 468 laps of the Catalunya Circuit in the SF70H, equivalent to 2178.4 kilometres. Seb Vettel did 267 laps and Kimi Raikkonen did 201. Today, the Finn was also able to try the wet weather tyres as the circuit was artificially watered.

“A new year, a new car and new rules,” was Kimi’s summing up of proceedings. “And it’s these rules that determine the feeling you have at the wheel, because you go a lot quicker than before: it’s down to a combination of the tyres and the car. What I can say is that the team has worked very well over the winter. Whether or not it will be enough, we cannot tell yet. I didn’t pay attention to what the other teams were doing, nor the lap times, because at this point, it means nothing. I’ve got the feeling that we learned some lessons from last year and at the moment, we can’t complain about how testing has gone so far. But before Melbourne, we have another week of testing and we still have a lot of work to do. More or less every year we know where we want to be and sometimes everything goes smoothly and other years less so.”

The second session gets underway on Tuesday 7th March, with Sebastian, who will also drive on Thursday 9th. Kimi drives on Wednesday 8th and Friday 10th.

McLaren

McLaren-Honda completed a second consecutive full programme of running on the fourth and final day of the first pre-season test. Like yesterday, the team worked through a number of different set-up configurations and aero tests in combinations of shorter and longer stints.
Added to the mix was the scheduled wet tyre testing, which enabled Stoffel and the team to experiment with both types of wet tyre as well as running from wet to dry conditions. The team also completed a series of live pit stops in preparation for the first race in Melbourne.
Stoffel did 67 laps, and the team ended the session having executed all of our planned test programme for the day.

STOFFEL VANDOORNE

“I’m really pleased both Fernando and I were able to spend a full day in the car with no major issues, get a good amount of valuable mileage under our belt and complete our scheduled run plans on both days. We’ve tried a lot of different things, worked on various set-ups, and we’re learning a lot about the handling and characteristics of the car with every lap, which has been very useful for me.

“The addition of the wet testing was also interesting as it was the first opportunity for us to try out a wet weather set-up with the new tyres and under the new regulations. I felt comfortable in the car, even in the wet, which has provided us with valuable data and given me a good feel for how the car reacts in varying track conditions.

“We had a difficult start to the week, but I want to say thank you to the team for all their hard work over the past four days. We’ve managed a solid couple of days’ running and made good progress, and I’m really proud of the team effort to ensure we could make the most of our track time. I hope we can continue this momentum and have a strong week at the next test.”

ERIC BOULLIER

“The first couple of days of the first test were certainly challenging, but I salute the efforts of everyone at McLaren-Honda, who have pulled together and worked hard to enable us to complete some solid and much-needed mileage, putting us in good stead over the weekend in preparation for next week.

“The mileage and test plan we have completed has provided us with a great amount of data that our engineers are already busy number crunching and analysing, which will help shape our run programme for the next test and allow us to move forward with our development.

“We were able to make use of today’s scheduled wet running to learn a lot about the new 2017 tyres and our car’s strengths and weaknesses. Although mitigating any risks on a wet track was key, we made use of all conditions to test out various configurations of wet-to-dry set-up and gather useful information for the season ahead.

“Over the weekend we’ll put all of our learning to good use and return to the track next Tuesday morning aiming to continue where we left off, and get some more valuable mileage on the board so we can push forward.”

YUSUKE HASEGAWA

“Following on from a much more productive day of running yesterday, today we were able to complete our testing programme with no major issues. Our main aim was to continue testing the durability of the power unit.

“We have recovered our programme after the track time we lost, and worked through all of our planned schedule over the past two days. The PU from day two is now with our engineers at Honda R&D in Sakura, Japan, to investigate the root cause of the problem we encountered.
“The McLaren-Honda team has worked incredibly hard this week, and although it hasn’t always been easy, we collected very important data to help us understand the car and PU package better.

“We will now prepare for the second and final pre-season test, during which we hope to continue collecting valuable information for the first race in Melbourne.”

WHAT’S NEXT?

The team will return to its respective bases in Woking, Milton Keynes and Sakura to analyse the data from the first test, before we return to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Tuesday 7 March to begin the second and final week of pre-season testing.