5
Valtteri Bottas has ended the final day of pre-season testing on top of the timesheets, with a lap time of 1:16.196.
No driver failed to beat the fastest time from week one - 1:15.732 - which was set by Bottas on day three. Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo were second and third behind the Finn, both less than a tenth down.
Charles Leclerc was fourth, setting the most amount of laps from any driver during the day - a massive 180.
Following the Monegasque driver was reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton whose fastest time was just over two-tenths slower than Bottas'.
Renault's new driver for 2020, Esteban Ocon, was seventh ahead of Sergio Perez in the Racing Point.
No red flags were deployed during the day, with the biggest drama coming in the morning following a spin into the gravel for Alexander Albon.
However, the Thai-British driver was able to get his car back onto the circuit by himself and return to the pits. He was 14th and last at the end of the day.
Carlos Sainz and George Russell were eighth and ninth respectively, with Daniil Kvyat rounding out the top ten in the AlphaTauri.
The F1 season is set to begin in two weeks' time at the Australian Grand Prix, where a true understanding of the grid's pecking order will become clearer.
Circuit de Catalunya - 28 February 2020
Thank you for another year's excellent reporting on the winter tests, GPT. As I spent every moment of it at work, with these live reports I could at least follow it during coffee breaks and the likes.
I love renault's this years car design's look. Painting probably best mclaren's, hovewer all cars looks kinda good. alpha tauri and rb in back of the list... alpha tauri too wide nose, terrible back painting, rb very ugly nose tip (despite most harmonically shaped above) and terrible color scheme...
Prediction time!
1. Mercedes, they seem clearly ahead of Red Bull and Ferrari
2-3. Red Bull and Ferrari, likely close between them. I see it coming down to driver skill so; Ver, Lec, Vet, Alb
4-6. Renault, Racing Point, McLaren. I think Racing Point have the better car, but they have Stroll driving one of the cars and that could cost them fourth in the constructors. I’m thinking Per, Ric, Sai, Oco, Nor, Str.
7-9. Alfa Romeo, Alpha Tauri, Williams. Williams seem to be the biggest improvers, so perhaps: Rai, Gas, Rus, Gio, Kvy, Lat. (Perhaps Mag will beat Latifi)
10. Seems to me like Haas is bringing up the rear, and that Williams are just ahead. So perhaps; Mag, Lat, Gro.
Pretty close to my own, except:
1. Merc, no doubt
2. RBH, IMO they look more convincing than Ferrari
3 Ferrari
4 RP, I feel they might even challenge for podiums this year, with some luck
5-7 McLaren, Renault and Alfa Tauri. McLaren looks good this year too, Renault's been doing decent progress but I think they'll be overshadowed this year again, and ATH will no doubt make decent progress again
8-9 Haas and Alfa Romeo
10 Williams. While their car's been going on a heavy diet, it is still based on an inherently flawed concept, so I don't think it will get up from the pit Williams have dug themselves into
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Thank you for another year's excellent reporting on the winter tests, GPT. As I spent every moment of it at work, with these live reports I could at least follow it during coffee breaks and the likes.