Day 3
Day three proved to be a good one for the Honda powered teams. A total of 241 laps were accumulated, 137 for Toro Rosso and 104 for Red Bull. Daniil Kvyat also took top honors of the day setting a fastest lap of 1:17.704 using the Compound 5 tire.
Elsewhere on the grid, more teams began experimenting with the Compound 5 tire as Kimi Raikkonen joined Kvyat at the top of the time chart. Ferrari powered teams still lead the mileage race giving the Prancing Horse more test mileage than any other Power Unit manufacturer. Mercedes is still laying low and has yet to reveal its true pace. With Toro Rosso and Alfa Romeo touching the 1:17’s it’s safe to say that Ferrari and Mercedes have much more pace in hand. Williams hit the track for the first time today; however, they only managed 23 laps and recorded the slowest time.
1. Kvyat, Toro Rosso, 1m17.704s, 137 laps
2. Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo, 1m17.762s, 138 laps
3. Ricciardo, Renault, 1m18.164s, 80 laps
4. Vettel, Ferrari, 1m18.350s, 134 laps
5. Verstappen, Red Bull, 1m18.787s, 104 laps
6. Hulkenberg, Renault, 1m18.800s, 63 laps
7. Grosjean, Haas, 1m19.189s, 69 laps
8. Fittipaldi, Haas, 1m19.249s, 48 laps
9. Sainz, McLaren, 1m19.354s, 90 laps
10. Perez, Racing Point, 1m20.102s, 67 laps
11. Bottas, Mercedes, 1m20.693s, 88 laps
12. Hamilton, Mercedes, 1m20.818s, 94 laps
13. Russell, Williams, 1m25.625s, 23 laps
Day 2
1. Leclerc, Ferrari, 1m18.247s, 157 laps
2. Norris, McLaren, 1m18.553s, 104 laps
3. Magnussen, Haas, 1m19.206s, 59 laps
4. Albon, Toro Rosso, 1m19.301s, 132 laps
5. Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo, 1m19.312s, 101 laps
6. Bottas, Mercedes, 1m19.535s, 89 laps
7. Gasly, Red Bull, 1m19.814s, 92 laps
8. Hulkenberg, Renault, 1m19.837s, 95 laps
9. Ricciardo, Renault, 1m19.886s, 28 laps
10. Hamilton, Mercedes, 1m19.928s, 74 laps
11. Stroll, Racing Point, 1m20.433s, 79 laps
12. Fittipaldi, Haas, 1m21.849s, 13 laps
Day 1
Honda has arrived. It may seem like an obvious statement on the surface but in 2019 Honda finds itself supplying a top-tier team, their junior team, and setting performance numbers at the sharp end of the field. They are truly poised for success. Today we saw Max Verstappen drive the RB15 to 128 laps and post a 4th fastest time of 1:19.426. Even though this time was set on the Compound 3 tire, it should be noted that Max was able to lap near that same range on the Compound 2 tire which is one increment harder, something other teams were not able to do. On the Toro Rosso side Daniil Kvyat turned in 77 laps with a 6th best time of 1:19.464, however this was set on the Compound 4 tire which is the second softest compound. This tells us that despite more parts sharing than last year the Red Bull chassis is still more advanced than Toro Rosso’s. Between the two teams Honda tallied 205 laps on the day.
Elsewhere on the grid, the main standout was Ferrari, not only as a team but as an engine supplier. Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time of the day for the Scuderia at 1:18.161. Adding in Haas and Alfa Romeo, Ferrari Power Units accumulated a total of 348 laps! In typical Mercedes fashion, they chose to hang back and concentrate on long runs rather than showing the ultimate pace of their car. If Renault did make Power Unit gains over the winter, the potential has yet to be fully released on track. The works team rounded out the bottom of the order and while McLaren had a respectable day (despite two stoppages at pit exit) they did require the Compound 4 tire in order to set a competitive lap time. Williams did not participate in today’s running and is set to miss tomorrow, too, as their car was not ready in time.
1. Vettel, Ferrari, 1m18.161s, 169 laps
2. Sainz, McLaren, 1m18.558s, 119 laps
3. Grosjean, Haas, 1m19.159s, 65 laps
4. Verstappen, Red Bull, 1m19.426s, 128 laps
5. Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo, 1m19.462s, 114 laps
6. Kvyat, Toro Rosso, 1m19.464s, 77 laps
7. Perez, Racing Point, 1m19.944s, 30 laps
8. Bottas, Mercedes, 1m20.127s, 69 laps
9. Hamilton, Mercedes, 1m20.135s, 81 laps
10. Hulkenberg, Renault, 1m20.980s, 65 laps
11. Ricciardo, Renault, 1m20.983s, 44 laps
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