F1 test in Barcelona: Chilton and Marussia in the lead on the first day

Max Chilton is the fastest on the first day of testing on the Barcelona circuit. The Marussia driver finished with the best time of 1.26.434, ahead of Charles Pic (Lotus) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes). Behind the top three we find Kimi Raikkonen with Ferrari. For the Finn, the engine broke in the morning and went off the track in the afternoon: only 14 laps under his belt for him.

chronicle – The morning began with wet asphalt and weather conditions that were not at all favorable for a day of testing. Four red flags marked the 3 hours of testing, three of which involved Vergne's Toro Rosso and Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari: both drivers completed only two laps, the Finn following an engine failure. Due to the very humid track, mid-morning it was decided to bring forward the end of the morning session by an hour, in the hope of making better use of the more favorable weather conditions expected for the afternoon.

In the morning the teams alternated wet and intermediate tyres, but had to give up other specific tests, such as the aerodynamic one planned by Williams.
The morning, not particularly intense, ended with the best time of Hamilton, 1:44.291, followed by Massa and Buemi.

Testing resumes after an hour's break, at 13.00pm, with the teams eager to take advantage of the apparent respite granted by the rain. The first laps see the drivers still working on intermediate tyres, even if the sun seems to make its way through the clouds. Notably absent from the first hour were Vergne's Toro Rosso and Raikkonen's Ferrari.
The first outings on the track saw Hulkenberg and then Button alternate at the top of the standings, but as soon as Hamilton entered, first place was back in the hands of Mercedes.
An hour and a half after the start of the afternoon session, the rain starts to visit the circuit again and the teams take refuge in the pits again. When conditions seem favorable again, we set off again, but here comes the fifth red flag of the day. This time it is Buemi's Red Bull that closes the day between turns 6 and 7.
When there was just over an hour and a half to go until the end of the tests, Raikkonen's Ferrari appeared with the new engine. The Ferrari driver begins to climb to the top and takes first position but shortly afterwards ends up off the track again. New red flag.

After the green flag, Hamilton took to the track with new medium tires and clocked 3 fast laps, the best in 1.26.674, beaten ten minutes later by Pic's Lotus in 1.26.661. 20 minutes from time Kobayashi caused a red flag. With 10 minutes to go Max Chilton took the lead with the Marussia and supersoft tyres: 1.26.434. No one will be able to beat his time.

See the test photos

The times of the first day of F1 testing in Barcelona
1. Max Chilton Britain Marussia-Ferrari 1m 26.434s
2. Charles Pic France Lotus-Renault 1m 26.661s
3. Lewis Hamilton Britain Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 26.674s
4. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 26.965s
5. Jean-Eric Vergne France Toro Rosso-Renault 1m 27.724s
6. Nico Hulkenberg Germany Force India-Mercedes 1m 27.727s
7. Felipe Massa Brazil Williams-Mercedes 1m 27.756s
8. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes 1m 28.333s
9. Kamui Kobayashi Japan Caterham-Renault 1m 30.101s
10. Sebastien Buemi Switzerland Red Bull-Renault 1m 31.440s
11. Giedo van der Garde Netherlands Sauber-Ferrari 1m 31.783s

Nina Stefanelli