After topping the timing sheets on the opening day of the Hungaroring tests, Scuderia Ferrari continued to set the pace in the morning session of the second and final day. Yesterday’s pace-setter Antonio Giovinazzi gave over the driving duties to Kimi Räikkönen. The 2007 Formula One world champion flew back to his residence in Switzerland to come then back for the Wednesday testing session and the Finnish driver controlled the action on the medium compound before switching to the softs. On the yellow-marked Pirelli rubber, Kimi set the best lap time of the morning with a 1:16.171.
In the afternoon session, 20-year-old British racing driver George Russell managed to set the fastest time of the day, which also becomes the Hungaroring unofficial track record, with a 1:15.575. The in-season test thus concluded in Budapest, and it was George Russell who comes out as the fastest man, while Kimi Raikkonen ends the day with the most laps laid down with 131. The Iceman sets his personal best time on his final lap, getting within a tenth of Russell (1:15.649).
Force India youngster Nikita Mazepin has a disrupted day as he caused the only two red flag periods, one in the morning and one after lunch, amid suspected mechanical gremlins with the VJM11.
The Russian was nonetheless able to return to action and moved up to fifth with a flurry of improvements late in the session.
Almost a year to the day since he launched his Formula 1 comeback in a public forum Robert Kubica had another outing in his role as Williams’ test and development driver. Kubica’s fans in the grandstands opposite the pit lane were the most vocal as he finished sixth overall, ahead of McLaren’s reserve driver Lando Norris.
Renault test and development driver Artem Markelov wound up eighth as he sampled current-spec F1 machinery for the first time, ahead of a trio of Toro Rosso drivers. Sean Gelael switched to the STR13 run by the team and rounded out the top 10, in front of regulars Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley, who shared tyre testing duties on behalf of Pirelli.
Leave a Reply