Lewis Hamilton fastest as Mercedes leave rivals in shade in Formula One’s first pre-season test
Three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton underlined his determination to reclaim the drivers’ title by setting the pace on the first day of Formula One’s pre-season testing.
Hamilton’s best time of one minute and 21.765 seconds at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona was 0.113 seconds faster than Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who was second quickest.
It capped an encouraging day for Mercedes, with Hamilton and new team-mate Valtteri Bottas each completing more than 70 laps in the new car.
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Ferrari also had cause for optimism, with Vettel’s fastest lap times coming on medium tyres rather the softs used by Hamilton, while Felipe Massa justified his decision to cancel his retirement by recording the third quickest lap time for Williams.
Red Bull twice saw Daniel Ricciardo’s run halted by technical problems. The Australian suffered a gearbox issue and then a battery fault before eventually completing almost 50 laps.
McLaren fared even worse. Fernando Alonso was consigned to the sidelines for much of the day after problems with the team’s revamped Honda engine limited him to just 29 laps.
Hamilton is set to resume testing on Tuesday morning, while fellow Briton Jolyon Palmer is due to try the new Renault for the first time.