Barcelona Test No. 1: Day 3 Recap

Overview

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 24
Location: Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya    
Layout: 4.655-kilometer (2.89-mile), 16-turn circuit
Driver: Romain Grosjean
Laps Completed: 82
Distance Completed: 381.71 kilometers (237.18 miles)
Best Lap Time: 1:25.874 (second overall)
Fastest Lap: 1:23.110 by Nico Hulkenberg (Force India)
Most Laps: 161 by Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso)

Rundown

Five minutes after the track went hot, Romain Grosjean wheeled the VF-16 out for an installation lap. It was a low-key beginning to a very successful day of testing.

Nine runs consisting of five laps or more were made, with the longest being a 12-lap stint at the very end of the day. It’s there where Grosjean netted his fastest lap – a 1:25.874 time on his 71^st circuit that put him second overall.

Grosjean ran the Pirelli P Zero White medium tire for most of the day, switching to the Pirelli P Zero Yellow soft tire for his final, two multi-lap runs.

In all, Grosjean logged 82 laps, bringing Haas F1 Team’s three-day testing total to 192 laps. Grosjean made 31 laps in the VF-16’s testing debut Monday and teammate Esteban Gutiérrez piloted the car to a previous high of 79 laps Tuesday. Gutiérrez returns to the VF-16 on Thursday, the final day of the first Barcelona test before teams come back to the track March 1-4 for a final round of testing.

Romain Grosjean, Driver No. 8, Haas F1 Team

“The morning went without any problems. It was a really good morning. After lunch, we had a software glitch that cost us two small runs, but once we sorted that we were able to do some more mileage. The idea is to see how far the parts can go and which ones will be the first to go, so we did a good job in that aspect. We did the most laps so far in this test, so that’s good. Generally, I’m very happy with the car, very positive. I like driving it. The guys are doing a good job. We found some setup improvements, so that’s very positive for everyone.”

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas F1 Team

“It was a very constructive day. We are pretty happy on what we achieved. We are getting laps together and, for sure, experienced some little problems, but that’s why we’re here. The team seems to be gelling and we’re working hard. There’s a very good atmosphere in the team and we’re making progress.”

Next Up

Gutiérrez is back behind the wheel of the VF-16 Thursday for final day of the first preseason test at Barcelona. After a four-day break, teams return to Barcelona for a second and final round of preseason testing March 1-4. Gutiérrez will drive March 1-2 and Grosjean wraps the test March 3-4.