The first F1 test is officially over as the chequered flag waves in Barcelona, bringing an end to three days, and 24 hours of action.
In Friday’s morning session at the Circuit de Catalunya, Charles Leclerc added 44 laps to Scuderia Ferrari’s total for the first test ahead of the 2022 Formula 1 season, while Carlos Sainz took over the testing duties in the afternoon, for the final time this week.
The afternoon session provided something rather unique as drivers headed out on a wet track, dampened by Formula 1 so that these all-new cars can try out the all-new Pirelli wet tyres.
Drivers set several fast laps on the Intermediates and constantly improved, as times were coming down once given the fact that track conditions continued to change. Some good lap times also for Carlos Sainz who at one point toppled Sergio Perez’s best lap time. The Spaniard is known to enjoy driving in damp conditions.
Carlos Sainz brought the Maranello team’s scheduled programme to an end with 92 laps in the second part of the day and a best lap time of 1:20.072 which was good enough for seventh place at the end of the day.
The focus now shifts on analyzing the all-important data gathered during the first three days of testing in Barcelona, as Formula 1 teams will have two weeks to continue working on the new cars ahead of the final testing session, which takes place next month at the Bahrain International circuit. Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto confirmed that the F1-75 car will not change very much for Bahrain, where the Maranello team will focus on chasing performance after an encouraging start in terms of reliability and mileage in Barcelona.
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