Scuderia Ferrari may well have spent the majority of Formula 1’s first pre-season test looking like the team to beat in 2019, but the Scuderia may return for test two with accusations of sandbagging ringing in their years after lap times tumbled rapidly on Thursday.
Test two will likely offer more hints at the true playing field of headline pace in F1 for the year to come, but the first instalment ended with a string of surprising names at the top of the timesheets, no matter how much salt must be pinched along with them. Nico Hulkenberg ended the test as the fastest driver, having clocked 1:17.393 in the afternoon session, with Daniel Ricciardo having put in a similarly impressive lap, four tenths slower, earlier in the day. Although Renault’s pace was impressive, they only managed 58 laps across the day.
Behind the German come both Toro Rossos, with Alexander Albon following Daniil Kvyat’s Wednesday best with another impressive lap, prompting suggestions that Red Bull’s junior team may well be taking the Honda power unit to limits that the senior outfit do not want to just yet.
The Honda PU certainly looks as reliable as any in 2019, Albon clocking 136 laps, while Pierre Gasly put up 146 for Red Bull.
Both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas dipped under 1min 18secs, while Charles Leclerc ended with a top time of 1:18.046, as the Monegasque racing driver completed 138 laps, more than any driver on Thursday and bringing the first winter test to a close for the Maranello team, which can be more than happy with the outcome of this initial testing period.
It remains unclear at this stage whether Mercedes have clawed back the lap time they predict Ferrari hold in hand – Toto Wolff even speculating that Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel hold half a second over their rivals.
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