Sebastian Vettel fastest so far in second F1 test, but top three remain close
Sebastian Vettel’s time of 1min20.396sec, set on medium tyres, put him at the top of the leaderboard on day one of the second Formula 1 pre-season test. He completed the highest number of laps, 86, on Tuesday morning.
Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas filed in second on softs with a time of 1min20.596sec, two tenths behind the leading Ferrari, having completed 85 laps. That tally was matched by third-place Max Verstappen, whose fastest time was a 1min20.649sec on medium tyres, ahead of Toro Rosso’s soft-shod Pierre Gasly.
Force India completed a handful of laps, 37 down at lunch, as Sergio Pérez spun in the gravel early on to put himself ninth in the standings. McLaren had a difficult morning with supersoft-equipped Stoffel Vandoorne in last place. Vandoorne’s MCL33 broke down on track after just six laps with a power unit failure, though he emerged with minutes of the morning session remaining to set an installation lap.
| Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1min 20.396sec(Medium) | 86 |
| Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1min 20.3596sec (Soft) | 85 |
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1min 20.649sec (Medium) | 85 |
| Pierre Gasly | Toro Rosso | 1min 20.973sec (Soft) | 52 |
| Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1min 21.298sec (Soft) | 46 |
| Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | 1min 21.432sec (Medium) | 48 |
| Sergey Sirotkin | Williams | 1min 21.588sec (Soft) | 32 |
| Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1min 21.893sec (Soft) | 56 |
| Sergio Pérez | Force India | 1min 21.893sec (Soft) | 37 |
| Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren | 1min 24.773sec (Supersoft) | 7 |
Max Verstappen could secure his fourth F1 drivers' crown at this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix. Motor Sport looks back on the key races which could put the Dutchman's name among F1's greatest
The Formula 1 drivers' title might be as good as won, but the race towards the constructors' championship could find new traction in Las Vegas — with a new series and the cold desert air possibly throwing a spanner in the works
An "aggressive" Las Vegas GP schedule last year saw F1 drivers ill and exhausted after a week in the dark, juggling "showbiz" commitments before travelling on the longest flight in the world. It's part of the job, they say
He won GP titles with Benetton, Ferrari and his own Brawn team, then helped steer F1 to unprecedented popularity. As Ross Brawn turns 70, Matt Bishop looks back at a remarkable career — plus the multiple times he antagonised the engineer