Kimi Raikkonen Leads Final Day of F1 Testing at Barcelona
Kimi Raikkonen, driving for Scuderia Ferrari, recorded the fastest time on the concluding day of the first 2017 Formula 1 testing session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.
This day marked a departure from traditional testing practices, as Formula 1 employed water trucks to deliberately wet the nearly three-mile circuit. This decision came at the request of several teams wishing to evaluate the new 2017-spec Pirelli wet and intermediate tires. By moistening the track and then allowing it to dry under the Spanish sun, teams could determine the optimal transition points between the wet, intermediate, and dry Pirelli tire compounds.
Despite the wet track preparations, all the day’s quickest laps were recorded in dry conditions, with Raikkonen clocking a time of 1:20.872. Unlike the earlier days of testing when Mercedes dominated, Raikkonen was joined at the top of the timesheets by Max Verstappen from Red Bull Racing. Although Red Bull faced difficulties on the first day due to a sensor issue, they have proven to be a strong contender in the final days of testing as they head into the Australian Grand Prix.
In a surprising turn, Renault’s Jolyon Palmer and Haas’ Romain Grosjean finished in third and fourth place, respectively. Typically mid-tier teams, both drivers impressed on their final day of testing, placing them in the top five. It remains uncertain whether this pace will carry over to Australia, especially since their elevated positions might have been influenced by unusually low performances from Mercedes, Toro Rosso, and Williams.
Valtteri Bottas was the only Mercedes driver to participate on the final day, completing 68 laps and achieving the eighth-fastest time. The team has demonstrated strong speed throughout the week, and despite some electrical issues that affected their morning session, the eighth position is unlikely to alarm them.
Toro Rosso faced challenges as well, as Daniil Kvyat could only complete one installation lap before a power unit issue forced the team to retire the car for the day.
Conversely, Williams encountered a more significant setback. Following a promising start to the week where Felipe Massa secured third place on the first day, the team unexpectedly ended their test early. Rookie Lance Stroll crashed the car three times in just two days of testing, resulting in substantial damage that prevented either driver from logging laps on the final day.
All the times from the last day of testing can be found below, with Formula 1 set to resume testing in Spain on March 7th.
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