F1 Test: How drivers fared on Day 1 of post-season tyre test?

No sooner than the Formula 1 season ended with Lewis Hamilton's sensational win at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that the post-season tyre testing with Pirelli got underway. It ensured that drivers got busy after sipping their champagne, exchanging pleasantries, thanking fans, and congratulating their outfits for the long line of work done this season.

This basically meant that while Sunday was about the glorious spectacle of the season-finale being held at the spectacular Yas Marina, the very next day, the bandwagon of speed and its keepers got busy in readying themselves for the post-season Pirelli tyre-testing.

Monday and Tuesday were all about the drivers trying to get different tyre compounds to work on their car set-ups.

While for the likes of Sebastian Vettel, it was like getting used to the existing car- the one used for the 2018 season- SF 70H, for most others, such as Kimi Raikkonen, it was about trying out the C37 Sauber, a first for the Iceman.

That said, let's immediately delve into which drivers took out their cars for a practice spin at the Yas Marina for the tyre-testing?

Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari

F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi - Practice tyre

Lewis Hamilton might have been the ace of pace this year. But his close-rival; Ferrari driver, Sebastian Vettel continues to make headlines.

At Abu Dhabi, just a few hours ago, prior to getting into the act of doing the 'donuts' alongside Alonso and race-winner, Hamilton, Vettel collected a valiant second, once again second only to Lewis.

Then, he'd be off to concentrate on the next task at hand, i.e., the tyre-testing at the Yas Marina.

And boy, didn't Vettel do a fine job at that?

At going nearly the fastest over second-placed Valtteri Bottas, the Ferrari driver went at an impressive 1:36:812. This was impressive in the sense that it was much faster than what Hamilton managed during the Grand Prix: 1:41:357, bettered by none other than, the German himself: 1:40: 867.

Now, on the first day of practice as Vettel went way quicker at 1:36:812, it was clear who would be the man in charge. Despite causing a red flag at Turn 1 in the morning, Vettel's imperious pace would set the tone for an interesting, tedious day for the rest who had to play catch up to the charging German.

Kimi Raikkonen - Sauber

Approaching 40 but still giving some really talented names a run for their money, there's never a dull moment around with Kimi in it, isn't it?

Or maybe only when there's something wrong in his car.

Raikkonen seems to have fallen out of flavor with a track wherein he clinched one of his most famous wins, the 2012 Abu Dhabi GP with Lotus. That was 2012 now.

Immediately, the next year, he'd retire within seconds in the opening lap at the start due to a collision.

Since then, he's only managed 1 podium here in the form of a P3 in 2015. And if you rewind the clocks back to 25 November 2018, Raikkonen couldn't get beyond Lap 7 considering his Ferrari SF 70H gave him some troubles.

But this time, sitting behind the wheel of Sauber's C37, Raikkonen, who initially looked good had to contend with a heartbreak of sorts.

As his Sauber caught fire, owing to an unexplained technical problem a day's worth of a good job was left lacklustre.

Motorsports.com reported incisively on the issue stating:

Raikkonen's late stoppage ended a productive first day with Sauber since 2001 prematurely.

Robert Kubica - Williams

F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi - Practice

One of the greatest and most widely respected comebacks in modern F1 history should be that of the famous Pole, Robert Kubica.

Back in 2007, his career and life seemed threatened by a horrible crash. Then, things went from bad to worse as the last he'd drive in F1 would be at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix of 2010.

Now, Robert Kubica returned to the scene of practice, at the very track where he last raced, albeit for a practice, on this occasion: the electrifying and alluring Abu Dhabi.

On Tuesday, the mild-mannered Kubica recorded a best lap time of 1:39:269.

In so doing, he was quicker than Raikkonen, among the current old guards of the sport still thriving at the top echelons of Formula 1.

Having said that, all eyes are firmly placed on Kubica, lurking in the possibility of what he might add or bring back to the sport considering he's to drive next year.

Lance Stroll - Racing Point Force India

Truth be told, one of the most surprising outcomes of the Day 1 of post-season tyre-testing at the Abu Dhabi track was the performance that young Canadian driver Lance Stroll was able to clock in.

As the session resumed post the fire to Kimi's Sauber- not the best start possible- Stroll jumped to third on the list of the drivers practicing out there.

This meant that the two cars in front of Stroll, quicker than him were the usual frontrunners of the grid; cars that had dominated much of the 2018 season, Ferrari and Mercedes.

Despite having made his 'debut' for the team (Racing Point Force India), it is worthwhile to mention that Stroll hasn't yet been named as the official driver.

An announcement for the 2019 season, is, therefore, still pending.

But that won't be a problem, isn't it?

Max Verstappen- Red Bull

F1 End of Season Testing in Abu Dhabi - Day One

One of the sport's most enthralling talents albeit also a temperamental one, Max Verstappen of Red Bull had a modestly impressive outing in his Red Bull at the Yas Marina for the tyre-testing.

Max was the fourth fastest of the lot and was able to record a time of 1:37:947, lagging behind Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas, and Sebastian Vettel of Racing Point, Mercedes, and Ferrari respectively.

While Max was able to set a quicker time in the afternoon, the Dutchman wasn't flying by his normal standards. In the end, Verstappen was around 1.1 seconds slower than Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who reigned on top at the end of the day.

That being said, we know the kind of talent Verstappen is. Perhaps not the best bet on qualifyings- to quote as an example- he's the guy who gets the job done on most race-days.

And now, it will be interesting to see how he and the impending car shape up for the winter testing.

Lando Norris - McLaren

Mclaren's new driver for the 2019 season, set to partner Carlos Sainz Jr., had a decent run on his first-ever drive at the Abu Dhabi circuit.

Taking the wheel of his McLaren for the first time, Lando Norris was able to clock the sixth-fastest time faring pretty well and above the likes of Sauber's Kimi Raikkonen (get used to it, fellas), Nico Hulkenberg of Renault, Robert Kubica of Williams among others.

McLaren's new prodigy Lando Norris registered an impressive time of 1:138:187, meaning he was around 1.375 seconds shy of the frontrunner, Sebastian Vettel.

That said, what can the new season bring, one doesn't quite know. There will be tons of experience available to Lando Norris in the form of an eager teammate, someone who's much more experienced than the newcomer: Carlos Sainz Jr.