Valtteri Bottas set the pace for Mercedes as Formula 1 pre-season testing came to a conclusion in Spain on Friday.
Bottas used Pirelli’s C5 tyres to post a lap time of 1:16.196s in the afternoon session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as several teams trialled the softest compound.
It was still four-tenths slower than the best lap time he achieved during last week’s first test in similar weather at the same venue.
The time nonetheless enabled Bottas to finish 0.073s clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, though the Dutchman used the C4 compound for his quickest effort.
Morning pacesetter Daniel Ricciardo was shuffled down to third while Charles Leclerc was just 0.164s behind Bottas, amassing a day-best 177 laps for Ferrari.
Reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton was fifth, two-tenths down on his Mercedes team-mate, while Esteban Ocon capped an encouraging day for Renault by placing sixth.
Racing Point’s Sergio Perez took seventh, in front of McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr., Williams’ George Russell and AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat, with the top 10 covered by a mere 0.718s.
Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen split running for Haas and took 11th and 13th respectively, split by Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen.
Red Bull’s morning runner Alexander Albon had an excursion into the Turn 12 gravel and finished at the foot of the timesheets.
Formula 1’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix is scheduled to take place from March 13 to 15.
| # | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | V. Bottas | Mercedes | 1:16.196 | 79 | |
| 2 | M. Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:16.269 | 0.080 | 45 |
| 3 | D. Ricciardo | Renault | 1:16.276 | 0.164 | 65 |
| 4 | C. Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:16.360 | 0.173 | 180 |
| 5 | L. Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:16.410 | 0.214 | 90 |
| 6 | E. Ocon | Renault | 1:16.433 | 0.237 | 74 |
| 7 | S. Perez | Racing Point | 1:16.634 | 0.438 | 154 |
| 8 | C. Sainz | McLaren | 1:16.820 | 0.624 | 163 |
| 9 | G. Russell | Williams | 1:16.871 | 0.675 | 146 |
| 10 | D. Kvyat | AlphaTauri | 1:16.914 | 0.718 | 160 |
| 11 | R. Grosjean | Haas | 1:17.037 | 0.841 | 86 |
| 12 | K. Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo | 1:17.415 | 1.219 | 115 |
| 13 | K. Magnussen | Haas | 1:17.495 | 1.607 | 29 |
| 14 | A. Albon | Red Bull | 1:17.803 | 1.899 | 59 |
