Bottas’s flying laps on Tuesday suggested that Williams are there or thereabouts at the head of the mix behind Mercedes, as they have been since they switched to the German engines in 2014.
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Despite refusing to chase any headline lap times, Mercedes dominated the first test at Barcelona with the seemingly bullet-proof W07 running the equivalent of 10 Spanish GPs in just four days.
“They don’t need to”, added Hill who this year marks the 20th anniversary of his 1996 title season.
The Sky Sports F1 Digital team will be providing live commentary from dawn until dusk on all four days of the second Barcelona test while Sky Sports News HQ will also deliver live updates from trackside.
Yasuhisa Arai is to be replaced by Yusuke Hasegawa as chief motor sports officer of the giant Japanese auto manufacturer’s F1 activities, but there is little evidence the team has the tools to propel themselves back to the front of the grid.
Using soft tires for the first time – preferring intermediate tires last week – Rosberg lapped the 4.6 kilometers from Catalunya circuit in one minute 23.022 seconds.
Despite his telemetry glitch, it wasn’t a bad day for Fernando Alonso, the Spaniard finishing third on the timesheets and completing a respectable 93 laps.
“Of course, it is a great feeling to know that our level is exceptionally high right now and the team is working sensationally”, Rosberg said, before sounding the obligatory note of caution.
Only Rosberg completed more laps than Hamilton so far this winter and while the Englishman’s lifestyle may seem an unconventional approach to an F1 career, Hamilton remains adamant that it will not change.
“It’s hard to say for now, it’s very close between Ferrari and us I think, and maybe some other team might be there as well”, Rosberg told ESPNF1.
However, he did manage the day’s fourth quickest time ahead of Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat, who had some rear brake issues.
It was a disappointing morning for Manor as Rio Haryanto managed just one lap before an oil leak kept him in the garage. “I think we’re more or less where we want to be”.
“I still agree with what I said last week”, he concluded, “we have improved in the areas where we were weak past year”.
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Before the session, Toro Rosso unveiled its dark blue livery for the new season, with the young and highly-talented duo of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz promising much after successful debut seasons. Mercedes and Ferrari both found themselves on the track last week as well as team Haas, the newest addition to the sport.
