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Good start for Vettel
It seems like a perfect start to Vettel’s Ferrari career, with the German topping the Jerez winter test for a second day running. He ended a second clear from the second best time set by Sauber's new recruit Felipe Nasr. Both the Ferrari powered cars ended 1-2 in the two days. To top it off, both enjoyed two good days in terms of reliability, having logged in 88 and 89 laps respectively. This, however, doesn’t show the full picture yet.
In third was Williams' Valtteri Bottas who was able to complete 61 laps ahead of defending champion Lewis Hamilton who drove Mercedes' new challenger for the first time at the Spanish view. He managed 91 laps slotting in fourth, before his run came to a premature end after an oil leak from a failed component. But again, the German marquee finished with the highest number of laps during the day.
Another debutant and teen Max Verstappen ended in fifth place with an impressive 73 laps under his belt. For Max, any good number of running is welcomed with open arms, considering the jump he is making in his career. Lotus after missing yesterday’s run made their presence felt with Pastor Maldonado behind the wheels. They managed to build the car and do a strong 41 laps; the Venezuelan slotted in sixth.
Behind them in seventh was Jenson Button for McLaren-Honda but he only did 6 laps, same as what his teammate achieved yesterday. He was confined indoors for most part of the day after a 'recurring problem' hit the Honda engine. And last and eighth was Russian Daniil Kyvat, whose Red Bull debut didn’t prove to be his best outing. He lost his front wing early in the run which limited his running to just 18 laps. He couldn’t set a time owing to lack of spare parts with the team.
A brief spell of rain towards the end of the day gave some teams a chance to try the wet/intermediate Pirelli tyres. Once again, it was smooth sailing for the teams apart from just one red flag for Maldonado. The teams carried on with their usual programme and most of them managed to tick the boxes.
Jerez Test - Day 2 Results
1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 1:20.984 (88 laps)2. Felipe Nasr, Sauber 1:21.867 (89)3. Valtteri Bottas, Williams 1:22.319 (61)4. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 1:22.490 (91)5. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso 1:24.167 (73)6. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus 1:25.802 (41)7. Jenson Button, McLaren 1:54.655 (6)8. Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull no time (18)
