Barcelona Pre-Season Test: Day 1 Recap

Nikita Mazepin was first to drive the Uralkali Haas F1 Team VF-22 in Formula 1 testing on Wednesday at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya. The 22-year-old endured a frustrating morning session having been limited to just 20 laps – the discovery of a cooling leak and subsequent fix costing valuable track time. Mazepin returned to the circuit for a handful of laps before lunch setting his best lap time of 1:24.505 on the Pirelli C2 tire compound.

Mick Schumacher enjoyed his first taste of the VF-22 mid-afternoon but like his teammate earlier in the day, much of his session was spent waiting in the wings – a damaged floor requiring a lengthy repair in the garage. The 22-year-old returned to the track in the final hour of the day to set the majority of his 23 laps – recording a fastest time of 1:22.962 on a set of the Pirelli C3 tires. 

Schumacher runs first in Thursday’s morning session in Spain with Mazepin back in action behind the wheel of the VF-22 in the afternoon.

 

Nikita Mazepin, Uralkali Haas F1 Team

“Firstly, it was great to get out. The whole team is coming alive, and the car has been born. It felt nice because the set-up and the way you run the car during these days is different to how we ran it on filming day. Unfortunately, we didn’t get too many laps in – we had a cooling leak which prevented us from doing more laps – but it’s just the beginning. I think the car is looking strong when figuring out the balance. Everyone is learning about this very new car and there are some things that don’t quite match the simulations, but we’re quick learners!”
 

Mick Schumacher, Uralkali Haas F1 Team

“Nothing to be concerned about – the smile isn’t as big as it could be as we would’ve liked a three-digit number on the board – but those things happen. It’s now about trying to get the laps that we lost today, in tomorrow. We’ll have to wait and see what Bahrain looks like but at least we’re developing the car this year and can react to things, making things better.”

 

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal of Uralkali Haas F1 Team

“Well starting off, it’s a positive to be back at track and finally seeing the VF-22 come to life. The entire team has worked incredibly hard through our car build to get us to this point. Unfortunately, it’s been one of those days where a few small issues end up costing you considerable time in the garage. So, there’s not necessarily a lot to take from today other than hopefully that’s some of our issues over and done with. All being well tomorrow we’ll have greater reliability and we can get into a more thorough run-plan for both Mick (Schumacher) and Nikita (Mazepin).”

 

Today's Data

Date: Wednesday, February 23
Location / Layout: Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, Spain / 4.655-kilometer (2.892-mile), 16-turn circuit 
Drivers: Nikita Mazepin (AM) / Mick Schumacher (PM)
Laps / Distance: MAZ – 20 laps / 93.1 kilometers (57.8 miles) / MSC – 23 laps / 107.06 kilometers (66.5 miles)
Best Lap Time: MAZ – 1:24.505 (16th overall) / MSC – 1:22.962 (12th overall)
Fastest Lap: 1:19.568 by Lando Norris of McLaren
Most Laps: 147 laps by Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing