Barcelona Testing II – Day 3 (morning): Massa and Williams fastest so far
In Barcelona for this penultimate day of winter private testing, it's Felipe Massa in the Williams who sets the fastest time, just 14 thousandths ahead of Räikkönen's Ferrari. Midday report.
On this Saturday, February 28, 2015, teams and drivers can enjoy very favorable weather conditions. It is very cold this morning: 4°C at 8 a.m., but the presence of the sun quickly warms the track to reach 25°C by 1 p.m.
It’s the second-to-last day of testing and the drivers are not wasting any time. Five of them are taking off as soon as the green light signals.
Il est 9h à #Barcelone et 5 pilotes ont fait leur tour de vérification: Massa, Grosjean, Räikkönen, Ericsson et Ricciardo. #F1
— Motors Inside – F1 (@MotorsInside) 28 Février 2015
It should be noted that Magnussen in the McLaren Honda will be the last driver to go out around 10 am.
No red flags to report. Therefore, it’s worth noting the good reliability of Force India, which only had one day of testing yesterday but is still managing to consistently complete laps with Nico Hülkenberg at the wheel. The German driver was even the most enduring this morning. He clocked the 4th fastest time with 75 laps completed.
At the top, we find Felipe Massa who sets the fastest time of the morning on super soft tires: 1:23.262. He is 14 thousandths ahead of the Ferrari, also on super soft tires (the fastest), along with Marcus Ericsson, with the 3rd fastest time.
Most of the teams have prepared to perform their first race simulations. This is what Ferrari is expected to achieve this afternoon, particularly with Räikkönen.
Lewis Hamilton is in 6th place with the Mercedes. He set his time very early in the morning on medium tires. He drove little and apparently was not seeking performance.
In the rest of the ranking, we find the two Renault engines: Ricciardo first with the Red Bull, then Carlos Sainz with the Toro Rosso.
Romain Grosjean closes the march of this ranking. He completed 44 laps primarily on long stints (10 consecutive laps at a time).
The results from the morning of day 3 of private testing in Barcelona – Saturday, February 28, 2015:
| N° | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
1 | Massa | Williams Martini Racing | 1:23.262 | 43 | |
2 | Räikkönen | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:23.276 | +0.014 | 50 |
3 | Ericsson | Sauber F1 Team | 1:24.477 | +1.215 | 50 |
4 | Hülkenberg | Sahara Force India F1 Team | 1:24.939 | +1.677 | 75 |
5 | Magnussen | McLaren Honda | 1:25.225 | +1.963 | 38 |
6 | Hamilton | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1:25.471 | +2.209 | 36 |
7 | Ricciardo | Infiniti Red Bull Racing | 1:25.742 | +2.480 | 59 |
8 | Sainz Jr. | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 1:26.330 | +3.068 | 52 |
9 | Grosjean | Lotus F1 Team | 1:27.950 | +4.688 | 44 |
