A solitary installation lap was the only running Esteban Gutiérrez was able to accomplish Wednesday during preseason testing at the Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya. The brief outing was enough to diagnose an anomaly with the VF-16’s turbocharger, which had been changed overnight following Tuesday’s test session.
The team had to remove the turbocharger to properly source the issue, whereupon the rest of the day was spent preparing for an on-track return Thursday, the penultimate day of preseason testing.
- Date: Wednesday, March 2
- Location: Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya
- Layout: 4.655-kilometer (2.89-mile), 16-turn circuit
- Driver: Esteban Gutiérrez
- Laps Completed: 1
- Distance Completed: 4.655 kilometers (2.89 miles)
- Best Lap Time: N/A
- Fastest Lap: 123.261 by Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
- Most Laps: 166 by Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso)
Esteban Gutiérrez, Driver No. 21, Haas F1 Team: “As you can imagine, today has been a bit frustrating. However, we’re working really well as a team to resolve the situation. Testing is about solving these issues ahead of the first race. The team has been doing a great job working very closely together, preparing the car day and night. I’m confident we’ll have a positive outcome for the rest of the test.”
Guenther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas F1 Team: “We changed the turbocharger last night and this morning on the installation lap we saw an anomaly. When the car entered the garage we decided to take the turbocharger off and check it to see what was going on. The aim was to get out again today. Obviously, that wasn’t possible and we didn’t manage any further running. These cars are very complex. However, everybody is working hard to get the car ready for tomorrow. We’re very positive we can achieve that and get us back on track. We’ll keep on trying, we’ll keep working hard and then we’ll have success.”
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