F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Bottas puts Mercedes on top mid-day in Barcelona

Icy cold conditions on Tuesday morning led to limited mileage for teams and drivers on the second day of pre-season testing in Barcelona.

Few ventured out at the outset when the lights went green at 9:00am, or if they did it was for the odd installation lap only.

In order to make the most of the day however, teams agreed to extend the session by an hour, scrapping the scheduled one-hour lunch break as a result.

Mid-day, Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas had recorded the fastest lap on Pirelli's soft tyre, clocking in with a 1:20.270 which put him 0.055 seconds clear of second-place man Stoffel Vandoorne in the McLaren MCL33 running on the ultra-soft compound.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was third on the timesheet, putting 35 laps under his belt and edging out Renault's Carlos Sainz in P4.

Further down the order, Sergey Sirotkin followed in fifth as he conducted more data acquisition for Williams, and before handing over the FW41 to Robert Kubica.

Esteban Ocon was sixth for Force India in his first day behind the wheel of the team's new VJM11, while Pierre Gasly enjoyed a trouble-free run for Sauber.

Haas' Kevin Magnussen completed just six laps, but a mechanical issue in the form of a fuel leak prevented Max Verstappen from taking lapping more than three times the Circuit de Catalunya.

Testing continues this afternoon in slightly less freezing conditions but with an overcast sky which could spell rain sometime in the next few hours.

You can follow the session live here.

Pre-season test Day 2 - Midday

Pos Driver Team Time Laps Tyre
1  Bottas  Mercedes 1:20.270 43 S
2  Vandoorne  McLaren 1:20.325 28 HS
3  Vettel  Ferrari 1:21.341 35 M
4  Sainz  Renault 1:22.424 17 S
5  Sirotkin  Williams 1:22.844 31 S
6  Ocon  Force India 1:22.907 20 S
7  Gasly  Toro Rosso 1:24.488 31 S
8  Leclerc  Sauber 1:24.945 52 S
9  Magnussen  Haas 1:42.276 6 S
10  Verstappen  Red Bull No time 3 M

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

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