F1 Pre-Season Testing 2015: Times, News and Reports from Day 1 in Barcelona
An eventful first day of testing in Barcelona saw Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton withdraw due to illness and Williams test driver Susie Wolff and Sauber's Felipe Nasr involved in a collision.
Ferrari continued their excellent showings with Kimi Raikkonen clocking an impressive 1:25.167 lap time on the medium compound. The fastest time of the day went to Lotus' Pastor Maldonado.
McLaren-Honda once again ran into trouble as the team discovered a faulty seal on Jenson Button's motor-generator unit, a problem that can only be fixed by redesigning the entire component. This means Fernando Alonso will be able to test the car on Friday, but the problem will remain.
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Here's the full time sheet for the first day of testing, courtesy of Sky Sports:
1. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus, 1:25.011, 69 laps
2. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:25.167, 74 laps
3. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1:25.547, 59 laps
4. Sergio Perez, Force India, 1:26.636, 34 laps
5. Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 1:27.307, 79 laps
6. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso, 1:27.900, 94 laps
7. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:28.182, 21 laps
8. Pascal Wehrlein, Force India, 1:28.329, 32 laps
9. Wehrlein, Mercedes, 1:28.489, 48 laps
10. Susie Wolff, Williams, 1:28.906, 86 laps
11. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:30.429, 11 laps.
Hamilton retired from testing after just 11 laps with a high fever and was replaced by Pascal Wehrlein after it was revealed Nico Rosberg has a neck injury that could see him out of Friday's testing, per GP Right Now:
"Pascal Wehrlein could be in action for Mercedes again tomorrow with Nico Rosberg suffering from a trapped nerve in his neck. #F1 #Barcelona
— GP Right Now (@GPRightNow) February 19, 2015"
Nasr was the quickest during the morning session before he suffered a collision with Wolff. The crash did serious damage to both cars, with the Brazilian even losing his rear wing, but both returned to the track before the end of the session to put in a few more laps.
Raikkonen's effort on the medium compound was the talking point of the day, going a full two seconds faster than the Scuderia's pace in Barcelona last year and faster than Hamilton's pole-position lap at the 2014 GP.
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was impressed, via BBC Sport's Andrew Benson:
Ferrari were fastest three out of four days in Jerez, with Mercedes mainly focused on putting in as many laps as possible, and their continuing success indicates 2015 could be a major bounce-back year for the team.
Whereas all is going well for Ferrari, McLaren-Honda's nightmarish start to the year continues. The new MP4-30 has done just 100 laps so far in testing, and while Button looked on pace during the morning, the team will lose even more important data on Friday.
Force India joined the pack at the Circuit de Catalunya after missing out in Jerez, so all the teams slated to start the season in Melbourne are now participating in testing. The team's car isn't ready yet, however, forcing Wehrlein and Sergio Perez to work with last year's car.
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