Renault Sport Formula 1 Team completed a bumper 190 laps on the second day of the second week of Formula 1 pre-season testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Carlos Sainz completed 88 laps in the morning before Nico Hülkenberg broached three-figures in the afternoon with 102 laps completed. Running to different programmes, Carlos set a best lap time of 1:20.042secs; Nico a 1:20.758secs.
Fast Facts:
- Track: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain, 4.7km.
- Chassis: R.S.18 – 02.
- Weather: Dry, blue skies and sunshine. Ambient 9°C – 16°C Track 10°C – 30°C.
- Programme: Set-up work, race simulation.
- Laps Completed: 190: 88 Carlos; 102 Nico.
- Classification: Carlos P7, 1:20.042; Nico P11, 1:20.758.
Interruptions: Various red flags.
Carlos Sainz: “Today was a great day. We finished our run plan and did a lot of laps without any trouble. Track conditions were finally starting to be representative: the wind was a lot less at that point, with normal track temperatures and grip levels for Barcelona. This helped us to understand the car. Today we focussed on exploring different set-up options, which was something I really enjoyed. It was a very productive morning.”
Nico Hülkenberg: “That was a good day with some proper time in the car so I’m a happy man. Obviously, we’re still at the early stages of learning about the performance potential, but it’s a strong positive to get more than 100 laps on the board so a fine afternoon.”
Alan Permane, Sporting Director: “Today was a decent day where we hit our targets. Carlos completed long runs and set-up work in the morning, handing over to Nico for some short runs and then a race simulation in the afternoon. The R.S.18 has run faultlessly which means we have a lot of information to work on. For the final days of the test we will run similar programmes as we extract further performance from the car.”
What’s Next? Nico will jump back into the car tomorrow morning, handing over at lunchtime to
Carlos for afternoon duties.