Barcelona Test No.2: Day 4 Recap
March 1, 2019
Date: Friday, March 1
Location: Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, Spain
Layout: 4.655-kilometer (2.892-mile), 16-turn circuit
Driver: Romain Grosjean (Morning) / Kevin Magnussen (Afternoon)
Laps Completed: Grosjean – 73 laps / Magnussen – 94 laps
Distance Completed: Grosjean – 339.815 kilometers (211.116 miles)
Distance Completed: Magnussen – 437.57 kilometers (271.848 miles)
Best Lap Time: Grosjean – 1:17.076 (7th overall) / Magnussen – 1:17.565 (10th overall)
Fastest Lap: 1:16.221 by Sebastian Vettel of Scuderia Ferrari
Most Laps: 134 laps by Carlos Sainz of McLaren F1 Team
The final day of preseason testing Friday at Circuit de Barcelona - Catalunya again saw Rich Energy Haas F1 Team split driving duties in the VF-19 between Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen.
Grosjean enjoyed a productive morning where he accumulated 73 laps and set the team’s fastest outright lap in testing at the 4.655-kilometer (2.892-mile), 16-turn track. His quick time of 1:17.076, utilizing a set of C5 rubber - the softest Pirelli compound available in testing, was good for seventh overall from Friday’s 13 participating drivers.
Magnussen was back behind the wheel of the VF-19 in the afternoon focusing on timed runs on the C3 and C4 tires, before setting his personal best lap, a 1:17.565, on the C5 compound – placing him 10th. A race simulation followed, including pit-stops, with Magnussen ending his shift with 94 laps recorded.
Scuderia Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel set the day’s quickest time (1:16.221) while Carlos Sainz from McLaren F1 Team ran the most laps (134)
In total Rich Energy Haas F1 Team racked up 871 laps in preseason testing for 4054.505 kilometers (2518.932 miles). The mileage was shared between Grosjean (407 laps), Magnussen (403 laps) and Pietro Fittipaldi (61 laps).
Round 1 of the 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship is the Australian Grand Prix March 17 in Melbourne. Practice begins March 15 and qualifying takes place March 16.
Romain Grosjean:
“It’s been a good morning. We ran our full program, which is very positive. We’re finding a bit more time in the car, run-after-run, which is great. I’m generally very happy with winter testing to-date. Maybe we’ve had a few more issues than we’d have liked, but if we react well and sort them out, there are many things we’ve ticked in the box. I think we’re ready for Melbourne, I’m looking forward to getting there.”
Kevin Magnussen:
“Overall, I think it’s been a productive two weeks in Spain, today’s been another good example of that. From the start the VF-19’s felt good, and I can see how we’ve continued to make progress each day in terms of balance and performance. Of course, you never get enough miles in testing, that’s just the way it goes, but I’m happy with what’s been achieved. There’s a lot more work to do before we hit the track in Melbourne, but from my side, I can’t wait to start the season and go racing again.”
Guenther Steiner:
“We’ve had our best day of the test today, and it’s always good to leave on a high. We completed our run plan with Romain (Grosjean) in the morning, and our race simulation in the afternoon with Kevin (Magnussen). It’s been very positive, and all went well. Our testing’s been a little bit up and down, but the outcome at the end is good. We’ve ultimately done everything we wanted to do. We were maybe a little too nervous at the beginning due to a few problems, but we sorted them, and it seems now that the car is running well. Hopefully we’ve found our issues, that’s why you go testing. I’m pretty happy with our two weeks of testing.”
ENDS