Nico Rosberg at the helm in Catalonia

One thing did not change between the end of the first week of pre-season testing F1 in Barcelona in Catalonia last Thursday, and the resumption of debates this morning on the Montmelo route. THE Mercedes W07 Hybrid remains of exemplary reliability, as evidenced by the 82 laps to be credited to Nico Rosberg during the first four hours of driving which began at 9 a.m.

The German vice-world champion also established the best performance of the session in 1'23 "022, a time achieved on soft tires. Behind the pilot of the star, we find the Ferrari by Kimi Räikkönen, second in 1’24”836, with 42 loops on the SF16-H clock.

Third place goes to McLaren MP4-31 from Fernando Alonso, who climbs into the top three thanks to a personal benchmark established in 1’25″252. With fifty laps accumulated in four hours, the double world champion can be satisfied in terms of mileage. However, it was he who caused the red flag to be displayed at the very end of the session, by stopping at the exit of the pit lane.

Several drivers exceeded the mark of 50 laps completed this Tuesday morning, including Valtteri Bottas (Williams), fourth, which precedes Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso), which finally evolves with the STR11 decked out in its new 2016 livery, and Nico Hulkenberg (ForceIndia).

Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull), Esteban Gutiérrez (Haas), Felipe Nasr (Sauber), lined up at the wheel of the 35 C2016, and Kevin Magnussen (Renault), author of 54 laps with the R.S.16, complete the ranking ahead the Manor MRT05 from Rio Haryanto, who spent most of the session in his stand, following an oil leak discovered by the team. The Indonesian was able to complete a second installation lap in the final moments, and should return to the track normally in the afternoon.

Ranking Day 5 Barcelona at 13 p.m.:

Nico Rosberg (Mercedes): 1’23″022 (82 laps)

Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari): 1’24″836 (42)

Fernando Alonso (McLaren): 1’25″252 (50)

Valtteri Bottas (Williams): 1’25″255 (58)

Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso): 1’25″356 (59)

Nico Hülkenberg (Force India): 1’25″954 (50)

Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull): 1’26″227 (22)

Esteban Gutiérrez (Haas): 1’26″661 (23)

Felipe Nasr (Sauber): 1’26″923 (42)

Kevin Magnussen (Renault): 1’26″981 (54)

Rio Haryanto (Manor): no time (2)