Bahrain Test – Day Two
Today is the second and final day of the first in-season test and it looks like the pressure is on Mercedes to perform and gather as much information as possible with both their drivers taking part in the Bahrain Test.
As mentioned yesterday, Hamilton who normally doesn’t participate in in-season testing was doing all he could yesterday, gathering information and data for the team to analyse ahead of the Russian Grand Prix.
For now, let’s take a look at what happened today, Bahrain Test – Day Two.
Bahrain Test – Day Two: Mercedes
Valtteri Bottas took over from his team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the in-seaon testing setting the best lap time of 1:31.280
This was the quickest time of the test however the time was two seconds lower than his pole position from the race weekend in Bahrain.
We need to remember that in testing the set-up is different, cars are pushed to the limits more and the teams try different strategies and options.
Bottas took to the desert track – running 143 laps, bringing in a lot of data for the team to analyse.
Bahrain Test – Day Two: Ferrari
The 2017 Bahrain race winner – Sebastian Vettel was back on track today following a day of Pirelli Tyre Testing.
A little before mid-day, Sebastian Vettel was faced with some mechanical issues meaning that he was only able to complete 9 laps.
The team worked on the car and he was back out for the afternoon – unfortunately faced with more problems which limited the driver to just 64 laps which is a contrast to Bottas.
Even though Ferrari faced a little bit of an issue at Bahrain Test – Day Two, it doesn’t seem like they’re feeling the pressure.
The team look calm, relaxed and ready for the fight that the 2017 Formula 1 season will bring.
Bahrain Test – Day Two: Red Bull Racing
For the second and final day of in-season testing in Bahrain, the Red Bull Racing team saw Pierre Gasly take over from Daniel Ricciardo at the wheel of the RB13 to run 65 laps.
Despite a mechanical issue that resulted in a spell in the garage mid-afternoon, the Red Bull Junior Programme driver, branded his first outing in the 2017 F1 Car as a “mega experience”.
This is what he had to say –
“It was great to be in a Formula One car again, it’s always really exciting – especially in the new F1 cars which are now so much quicker than last year.”
“It was a pretty busy programme this morning mostly because of the time lost yesterday and there was a lot of aero tests and some long runs which we achieved a lot this morning.”
“Unfortunately, we had a mechanical issue at the end of the morning and that stopped us a bit earlier than what we wanted and then we missed some running in the afternoon.”
“Now, I head to Japan for the first race of the Super Formula Championship which I’m really looking forward to.”
Bahrain Test – Day Two: Sauber 
Pascal Wehrlein took over from his team-mate Marcus Ericsson today and ran a total of 91 laps – together with Marcus Ericsson, the pair have collected a lot of data needed for the team and completed 196 laps.
Pascale Wehrlein
“A very positive test on this track – I’m really happy with how everything went today. I was able to gain more experience with the car and also together with the team, we ran through our programme without any issues.”
“While we learned lessons about the set-up and getting a better understanding of the car, I’m now really looking forward to a few days off and I can’t wait for the next race in Sochi.”
Bahrain Test – Day Two: McLaren
Stoffel Vandoorne was once again back behind the wheel for the final day of in-season testing in Bahrain.
As soon as the green light signalled the pit-lane ‘open’ – the team was able to start it’s programme and run comprehensively throughout the day.
Bringing home 56 laps before a natural pause at lunchtime – the team also took the opportunity to make lengthy (and scheduled) set-up changes before returning to the track.
The team spent most of the day testing a combination of set-up and handling configurations and the team team ended on a high – with a trouble-free day of running and with the session ending with Vandoorne having completed a total of 81 laps.
Stoffel Vandoorne
“Today has probably been our best day this season – so far! It’s the first time that we’ve had a day without any big problems and where we could actually get on with our programme.”
“I think we completed everything that we wanted to do today and we went through a lot of set-up stuff that we didn’t manage to do in Barcelona.”
“It’s been a very productive day, especially after a difficult day yesterday and a difficult race weekend – it’s wasn’t looking great but I’m very pleased for the team.”
“It’s not been easy and they’ve been working flat-out, they’ve done a very good job.”
“We need to learn very carefully from what we’ve done today and hopefully be able to carry that forward to the next event and to see some improvements.”
“There were some new bits on the car that we wanted to try out, and learn about, so it’s been really useful to see where the performance comes from.”
“Today and all weekend, I’ve actually felt very comfortable in the car – the chassis is behaving really well and everything seems to be running smoothly.”
“We just need to keep working hard and wait for the moment when everything falls together.”
Bahrain Test – Day Two: Force India
Sahara Force India
The final day of testing saw both Force India drivers behind the wheel – Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez shared the duties throughout the day bringing in 130 laps.
Esteban Ocon
60 Laps
“My focus today was on short performance runs – when you test a few days after the race at the same circuit, it’s a good chance to make comparisons and feel the improvements to the car.”
“The track temperatures were really hot this morning but the car felt good in these conditions which is a good sign.”
Sergio Perez
70 Laps
“It was only half a day in the car for me but it was useful to have a solid afternoon to learn some things away from the race weekend.”
“I worked on our race performance which is one of our strengths – there are still areas on which we need to improve on.”
“70 laps it more than a race distance and we’ve learned some things that will help us in the races up and coming.”
Lots more coming soon!
xx