F1 Test Barcelona 2018, Session 2 – Day 3: Vettel's penultimate day with Ferrari

Productive and record-breaking day today at Montmelò. Sebastian Vettel he achieved the best time already in the morning, 1:17.182 with the hypersoft tyre, setting a new record on the Catalan track. Behind him, with two compounds behind, was placed instead Haas di Magnussen, followed by the Force India di gasly which, also on pink tyres, climbed the rankings in the last hour of testing. The track activity today was intense: all the teams completed over one hundred laps, with Hag leader in this case too.
The tests will also continue on Friday, again from 9.00 to 18.00, but this time without the lunch break. It will be the last day on the tarmac before flying to Melbourne for the start of the season F1 2018.

News – The fourth morning of testing was a monopoly for Sebastian Vettel, who set a new track record with the hypersoft tyre, lapping in 1:17.182. Magnussen, with the supersofts, follows him at 1.17s, while Hulkenberg's Renault, also on the hypersofts, takes third place. Gasly, Vandoorne, Ericsson, Bottas, Kubica, Perez and Verstappen complete the time trial list before the lunch break. Mercedes with Bottas was the protagonist of a race simulation on medium tyre, while McLaren, forced to pit practically all day on Wednesday, completed 48 laps.

In the afternoon, the first to get back to work was the Belgian driver, aboard his MCL33. Shortly afterwards Gasly and Hamilton join him. Meanwhile, Ferrari prepares the SF71-H for Vettel's race simulation, which will see him on the track with supersoft, medium and medium tyres. Stroll also arrives, with the soft tyre, placing himself in penultimate position, ahead of Hamilton. Sainz then follows him with the mediums. An hour after the restart the ranking has not changed compared to the morning, but Hamilton, Sainz and Stroll have been added in that order.

Verstappen also entered race simulation mode: for him the tire sequence will be soft, medium and medium. Meanwhile, Hamilton is also spotted on the track with the hard tyre. And a race simulation also features Magnussen. By mid-afternoon the ranking had not changed, while at the conclusion of the respective race simulations, Ferrari was faster than Red Bull. So with the soft tire Sainz takes care of moving the time trial list a bit, moving up to eighth place. Meanwhile, McLaren, last in the team order, is approaching the 100-lap mark. Hamilton regains eighth place with the red compound, to the detriment of Sainz.

Vettel returns to the track after the post-simulation break for five laps on the ultrasoft. But here comes the red flag, the first of the day! Ericsson with the Sauber ended up in the gravel in turn 4. At the restart, with less than an hour to go until the end, Vandoorne Hamilton Sainz and Stroll were the first to relaunch. And with the pink tire Gasly takes third place, behind Ferrari and Haas. With the medium compound Hamilton overtakes Bottas in eighth place. Magnussen, after almost two hours of pit stop, puts the nose back out for the last minutes of testing.

The fourth and penultimate day at Montmelò ends with the best time of Hag, in front of Haas and to Toro Rosso.

F1 Barcelona Test 2018, Session 2 – Times, results and laps Day 3