Perez explains Racing Point's low mileage in Barcelona

©RacingPoint

A shortage of spare parts prevented Racing Point from extending its mileage in F1's first week of pre-season testing revealed Sergio Perez.

With the exception of Williams who only sprung into action on Wednesday afternoon, Racing Point completed the least number of laps this week at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Perez and team mate Lance Stroll achieved a combined 248 laps during Week 1 in Barcelona, or 136 laps less than the next less assiduous team which was Haas.

Who went the fastest and farthest during Week 1 in Barcelona?

Racing Point's priority is to stabilize the foundation of its RP19 before a significant upgrade package is implemented for Melbourne.

"We’re having a massive package upgrade for Melbourne, but we are very limited on parts as in the past," Perez said.

"Right now you’re going to see low mileage from us, simply because we’re short on parts, we don’t want to risk it too much.

"The most important for us is to understand what’s going on with the balance, how we can make it better, how I can be more comfortable. I think on that regard we did good progress."

©RacingPoint

In addition to purposefully limiting its mileage, the team's efforts on Thursday, with Lance Stroll behind the wheel, were cut short by an oil leak, the origin of which the team still had to investigate.

"Overall, this week has been a productive one even though we didn’t complete all the mileage we wanted," said Racing Point Performance Director Tom McCullough.

"Nonetheless, we have some important data and we are looking forward to another productive test next week."

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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.