Barcelona pre-season test: Day 2 driver line-up

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The first day of testing of Formula 1's new generation cars has come and gone, and teams are set to pick up in Barcelona where they left off on Wednesday.

There were several things to take away from F1's opening day of running at the Circuit de Catalunya.

The first observation was that, save for Alfa Romeo and Haas whose day was hampered by teething issues, F1's field of new-spec cars enjoyed an impressive level of reliability.

Furthermore, there were no on-track incidents to report, no red flags, with everyone keeping it together. But that fact is also a tell-tale sign that F1's new ground effect cars, while requiring a different driving style, are perhaps more forgiving than anticipated.

Finally, the performance difference between this year's designs and last season's machines is right in the ballpark 2/3-second estimate projected by most teams. And ongoing development will only reduce that gap as the season unfolds.

Read also: Norris puts McLaren on top in first Barcelona test day

On Thursday, six drivers will take to the track onboard their new machines for the first time in pre-season testing: Red Bull's Sergio Perez, McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo, Alpine's Esteban Ocon, AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly and Alfa's Guanyou Zhou.

As yesterday, the action will kick off at 9:00 CET and conclude at 18:00 CET, with a one hour lunch break scheduled between 13:00 and 14:00 CET.

Driver line-ups for Barcelona pre-season test

Wednesday February 23	Thursday February 24	Friday February 25
Mercedes
AM George Russell PM Lewis Hamilton	AM Lewis Hamilton PM George Russell	AM TBC PM TBC
Red Bull
Max Verstappen	Sergio Perez	AM Max Verstappen PM Sergio Perez
Ferrari
AM Charles Leclerc PM Carlos Sainz	AM Carlos Sainz PM Charles Leclerc	AM TBC PM TBC
McLaren
Lando Norris	Daniel Ricciardo	AM Lando Norris PM Daniel Ricciardo
Alpine
Fernando Alonso	Esteban Ocon	AM Fernando Alonso PM Esteban Ocon
Scuderia AlphaTauri
Yuki Tsunoda	Pierre Gasly	AM Pierre Gasly PM Yuki Tsunoda
Aston Martin F1
AM Sebastian Vettel PM Lance Stroll	AM Lance Stroll PM Sebastian Vettel	AM Sebastian Vettel PM Lance Stroll
Williams Racing
AM Nicholas Latifi PM Alex Albon	AM Alex Albon PM Nicholas Latifi	AM Nicholas Latifi PM Alex Albon
Alfa Romeo F1
AM Robert Kubica PM Valtteri Bottas	AM Valtteri Bottas PM Guanyu Zhou	AM Guanyu Zhou PM Valtteri Bottas
Haas F1 Team
AM Nikita Mazepin PM Mick Schumacher	AM Mick Schumacher PM Nikita Mazepin	AM Nikita Mazepin PM Mick Schumacher

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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.