Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari posted the fastest time on the fourth and final morning of the first pre-season Formula One test in Barcelona on Thursday as McLaren-Honda was hit by more reliability problems.
Good morning, folks. The green light's on so Fernando is first to head out on track. >#GoNando>#F1Testing>pic.twitter.com/cYh4mVWypJ
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) >February 25, 2016
Raikkonen posted the third fastest time of the week of 1min 23.477 on the new ultrasoft tyres, but was over six tenths of a second down on the time set by teammate Sebastian Vettel on the same setup on Tuesday.
Fernando Alonso managed only three installation laps for McLaren as its problems continued after a hydraulic issue curtailed Jenson Button's second day in the MP4-31 on Wednesday. However, Honda confirmed it is hopeful the two-time world champion will be able to run in the afternoon.
"@Alo_Oficial (Alonso) will be back behind the wheel of the #MP431 later today," it posted on their official Twitter account.
A former McLaren man Kevin Magnussen enjoyed an encouraging morning for Renault on its return to the sport as a constructor, with the second fastest time and 67 laps. With the rest of the field prioritising testing reliability over speed, Max Verstappen was third fastest in a Toro Rosso.
. >@Alo_Oficial will be back behind the wheel of the >#MP431 later today. >#McLarenHonda>#F1Testing
— Honda Racing F1 (@HondaRacingF1) >February 25, 2016
Mercedes again piled on the laps as world champion Lewis Hamilton racked up 97 before handing over driving duties to Nico Rosberg for the afternoon down in sixth fastest.
The German giant also caused a stir by debuting a new nose to the W07 which could give the runaway leader in the past two drivers' and constructors' championships an even more commanding advantage in 2016.
Comments
SHARE