Barcelona Pre-Season Test Recap Day 1: Lotus F1 Driver Pastor Maldonado Finishes As The Fastest Driver

Lotus Formula One, or F1, driver Pastor Maldonado topped the leaderboard on the first day of the second pre-season test in Barcelona. Maldonado recorded the fastest lap time of 1:25:011, with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Aussie Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo trailing behind him at Circuit de Catalunya on Feb. 19.

Maldonado, who dealt with setbacks after having software problems in the morning and a clutch change in the afternoon, was reportedly happy with the outcome of his first day run in Barcelona. However, he doesn’t want to let his guard down and feel too comfortable despite finishing as the fastest driver. Maldonado said that there were some minor issues about the E23 Hybrid, which he reckoned were simple to resolve. In general, he was pretty pleased with the car’s performance.

“Today was good, I’m a bit happy, but it’s not enough, so we need to try to improve some particulars in the car,” Maldonado said in an article by NBC Sports. “I know it’s early but we don’t have a lot of time to think, we need to react and be fully ready for the first race.”

Interesting things that happened at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya

Raikkonen took the second spot for Ferrari; he ran 74 laps in the Ferrari SFP15-T. Ricciardo finished third for Red Bull, wrapping up the first day with 59 laps.

Reigning F1 champion Lewis Hamilton was forced to withdraw after coming down with a fever. Hamilton only completed 11 laps. He was replaced by Mercedes’ reserve driver 20-year-old Pascal Wehrlein, who also tested for Force India. Wehrlein’s best times for Mercedes and Force India were just 0.160 apart.

Meanwhile, Sauber’s Felipe Nasr and Williams’ test driver Susie Wolff were involved in a high-speed crash. Nasr was thought to have hit the back of Wolff’s car as they were about to turn five at Circuit de Catalunya.

Youngest F1 driver 17-year-ol Max Verstappen, who drives for Scuderia Torro Rosso, was the busiest driver in Barcelona after racking up the highest number of laps. Verstappen took the sixth spot with 94 laps.

F1 Second Pre-season Test Results (Team/Time,Laps)

1. Pastor Maldonado (Lotus F1/1:25:011/69)

2. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari/1:25:167/74)

3. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull/1:25:547/59)

4. Sergio Perez (Force India F1/1:26:636/34)

5. Felipe Nasr (Sauber/1:27:307/79)

6. Max Verstappen (Scuderia Torro Rosso/1:27:900/94)

7. Jenson Button (McLaren-Honda/1:28:182/21)

8. Pascal Wehrlein (Force India F1/1:28:329/32)

9. Pascal Wehrlein (Mercedes/1:28:389/48)

10. Susie Wolff (Williams/1:28:906/86)

11. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes/1:30:429/11)