On Tuesday and Wednesday after the Bahrain GP 2019, the first official in-season Formula One testing session took place at the Bahrain International Circuit. Mick Schumacher was behind the wheel of the SF90 car on Tuesday, while German driver Sebastian Vettel took over on Wednesday to complete the Maranello team’s scheduled activity for this week.
Sebastian Vettel completed 103 laps, the fastest of which in 1:29,319, as he finished third behind George Russell in the Mercedes and Sergio Perez (Racing Point), with just under three tenths of a second behind the best lap time. However, Sebastian used the C3 tyres for his personal best, which were also used in the race weekend. Russell and Perez, on the other hand, had the softest compound, the C5 tires, strapped on.
For Seb it was necessary to sort out the problems which he encountered during the weekend. While teammate Charles Leclerc had dominated the race until his engine issue, the four-time Formula One world champion had to fight the car and settle for fifth place. The German driver complained on Friday about not finding the right feeling with the SF90 car, which meant that the test thus became even more important for him. At the end of the day, Sebastian Vettel confirmed for Motorsport-Magazin.com that he did not drive his own car on Wednesday, but used the car which nearly led Charles Leclerc to victory in the Bahrain race .
Did Sebastian have a better feeling and understanding of the car with his teammate’s chassis? “The conditions were different today,” he said with a big smile on his face. Seb refuses to give any details, but does not complain about any problems and adds: “The test helped me for China.”
Vettel’s last Formula 1 test in 2019
In Bahrain, the first two of a total of four Young Driver test days of the season were completed. As with all testing sessions, teams are only allowed to use one car at a time. For at least two of the four days, each team must have a so-called Young Driver in their car. Young drivers are those who have not competed in more than two Grands Prix races yet.
For Ferrari this was the ideal opportunity to give Mick Schumacher his first experience in a Ferrari Formula One car. If Ferrari shares the rest of the days between the regular drivers – as was the case in the past – Sebastian Vettel had his last test in Bahrain until after the final race of the season, which will take place in Abu Dhabi. Charles Leclerc will most likely rake part in the testing session which is scheduled after the Spanish GP in Barcelona.
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