Williams' Valtteri Bottas set the pace on the opening day of the season's final Formula One test in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Fresh
from his podium finish at Yas Marina on Sunday, Bottas hit the front
early on, spent much of the day at the top of the timesheet, and
eventually clocked a lap of 1m 43.396s after improving his own benchmark
in the final 15 minutes.
The Finn's progress contrasted with
that of McLaren's interim Honda-powered car, its eagerly-anticipated
first official runs not coming until the afternoon due to early
electrical issues.
When it did appear, the team's official
reserve driver and GP2 runner-up Stoffel Vandoorne stopped out on track
on only his second lap. The Belgian was able to get out for one final
tour in the closing minutes of the session, ending the day with three
laps under his belt.
"We'd hoped to get a few more laps today,
but we had a fuel data-logging issue that stopped the car a couple of
times," Vandoorne explained. "However, the team are already analysing
the situation and we'll hopefully cure it ahead of tomorrow.
Nevertheless, it's been a very positive day for us. At this stage of
development, any lap we complete has a benefit – and it's better to be
solving these initial teething problems in November rather than in Jerez
next February."
Kimi Raikkonen helped Ferrari finish second
overall, while his 2015 team mate and four-time world champion Sebastian
Vettel spent time in the team's garage meeting his future crew members.
Nico
Rosberg was half a second down on Raikkonen in the all-conquering
Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid, which he was driving just two days after the
agony of his title defeat. The German completed 114 laps - more than any
other driver.
Recently-crowned GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer was
fourth fastest after an interrupted day with Force India. An engine
issue restricted his morning running, while further technical gremlins
meant more time was lost in the afternoon, his car rolling to a halt on
circuit and triggering one of several red flags.
The Briton did
at least manage to get going in the final hour and jumped into third,
only to be demoted when Rosberg edged him by just 0.004s late on.
"I
really enjoyed my first experience at the wheel of a Formula One car,"
Palmer said. "Despite a few technical issues early on, in the end we
managed to get back on track and have a solid hour of running, getting
up to speed fairly quickly. Sahara Force India is a team that gives
young drivers good chances and I would love to get a role with them."
Carlos
Sainz Junior, this year's Formula Renault 3.5 champion, was fifth
fastest in the Red Bull RB10, fractionally ahead of Will Stevens,
driving for Caterham after making his Grand Prix debut with the team on
Sunday. Both Sainz and Stevens broke into triple figures in the lap
count.
Lotus reserve driver Charles Pic was seventh, with Marcus
Ericsson - testing for Sauber, with whom he will race next season - and
Toro Rosso's 2015 rookie Max Verstappen rounding out the top nine ahead
of Vandoorne.
Verstappen also had an interrupted day as a
suspension issue put him into the barriers on only his third lap, though
he was able to return to the track in the final hours of the afternoon.
"Unfortunately
we didn't get much running in the morning, but in the afternoon we
carried out very useful long runs, which helped me with my understanding
of how to manage the tyres," he reflected. "To be able to run the car
for a longer period than just an hour and a half, which is all I had
done so far when running in the FP1 sessions, was definitely a good
experience and lap by lap, I got more used to the car."
The
Dutchman will stay in the STR9 for the second and final day of the Abu
Dhabi test. Stevens at Caterham and Vandoorne at McLaren will do
likewise, but the rest of today's field will switch.
Among the
new faces will be Ferrari protege and GP2 racewinner Raffaele Marciello,
Mercedes reserve driver Pascal Wehrlein, and Alex Lynn, this year's GP3
champion and a member of Red Bull's junior team, who will test for
Lotus.
Unofficial Tuesday times from Abu Dhabi:1. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1m 43.396s, 80 laps
2. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1m 43.888s, 81 laps
3. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1m 44.512s, 114 laps
4. Jolyon Palmer, Force India, 1m 45.516s, 37 laps
5. Carlos Sainz, Red Bull, 1m 45.339s, 100 laps
6. Will Stevens, Caterham, 1m 45.436s, 102 laps
7. Charles Pic, Lotus, 1m 46.167s, 89 laps
8. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1m 46.253s, 95 laps
9. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso, 1m 47.194s, 55 laps
10. Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren, no time, 3 laps
(source: f1.com)
