Vettel concludes winter tests on top despite Mercedes comeback

After Charles Leclerc on Thursday February 28, it is Sebastian Vettel who takes Ferrari at the top of the timesheet at the Barcelona tests (Spain). The 2018 runner-up finished the day of March 1 in first place thanks to a lap on soft C5 tires in 1'16''221.

All the stats you need to know from the last #F1Testing day. #Seb5 # SF90 #esseFerrari pic.twitter.com/MZs6OYidqF

- Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) March 1, 2019

Sebastian Vettel is the fastest man in these Catalan winter tests, because Charles Leclerc had clocked 1'16''231 the day before, (i.e. a full tenth difference between the two teammates).

Behind, we find a certain Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes). The outgoing champion, who did not hesitate to explain how the Ferrari was much faster than its single-seater, pulled out all the stops by reducing the gap to just three thousandths.

The Silver Arrows are threatening because Valtteri Bottas finished the day in third place, three tenths behind the German leader. The Finn, worried Thursday about the behavior of his mount, was therefore reassured. 

After a Thursday marked by a violent accident Pierre Gasly and several red flags, the drivers were wiser. " Only " three interruptions disrupted the day, each time due to breakdowns. In the morning it is Kimi Räikkönen who parked his Alfa Romeo exiting turn 2. 

A few hours later, his former colleague Sebastian Vettel stopped at the same place ! The four-time world champion was the victim ofan electrical outage according to his stable. The damage was so serious that the Scuderia gave up returning to the track at the end of the afternoon. 

#Seb5 car stopped due to an electrical issue, which would take too long to repair. That's it for today. Winter #F1Testing wrapped up. # SF90 #esseFerrari pic.twitter.com/nGuTmbwNZE

- Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) March 1, 2019

Finally, a quarter of an hour before the end of these winter tests, the Haas de Kevin Magnussen refused to continue, also suffering from mechanical damage. 

On the side of Renault, we can smile. Nico Hulkenberg set the French team's best time of all the Barcelona tests with a 1'16''843 (C5 soft tyres) in the afternoon. Daniel Ricciardo focused on long relays (8th in 1'17''114). 

The mid-table teams are in a tight spot; Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso), Carlos Sainz Jr. (McLaren) and Romain Grosjean (Haas) are separated by two tenths, all on soft C5 tires.

One last run in the sun at Testing @kvyatofficial #PoweredByHonda pic.twitter.com/W4WbtHxs1z

—Honda Racing F1 (@HondaRacingF1) March 1, 2019

Disabled by Pierre Gasly's accident, clan Red Bull returned used aerodynamic parts to the car de Max Verstappen. The Dutchman did not put the turbo on and was content with 11th time on medium C3 tires. 

Finally, and this has become a habit in Barcelona, Williams bring up the rear with Robert Kubica's 13th time, almost three seconds behind the leading Ferrari.

Find in issue 2206 of AUTOhebdo, available Monday evening digitally and Wednesday on newsstands, the analysis of the F1 tests by our special correspondents.