The second chapter of the F1® Test Days at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has been marked by the presence on the track of a new generation of drivers that will be guiding the future of this sport. To be precise, it was one of these young talents, Monaco-born Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), who had the honour of finishing the day on top of the time sheets, with a great time of 1:18.247 and a mere 157 laps.
Tuesday was also the first day on the track of two of the three rookies of the world championship: Lando Norris (19 years, McLaren) and Alex Albon (22, Toro Rosso). British driver George Russell (21) had to delay his expected debut, because his team Williams is not yet able to get onto the track due to problems with the 2019 car.
Rookie drivers Norris and Albon shared the track with Italian driver Antonio Giovinazzi (25, Alfa Romeo), who has only raced two Grands Prix with Sauber in 2017, and other rising stars like Canadian driver Lance Stroll (21, Racing Point), Frenchman Pierre Gasly (23, Red Bull) or the already mentioned Charles Leclerc (21, Ferrari).
They all share the target of dethroning world champion Lewis Hamilton, who, at the age of 34, already seems to be a veteran. Indifferent to the pressure coming up, and backed by his five world titles, the Mercedes driver used the day to cover 74 laps without looking for times, and gave the wheel over to Valtteri Bottas, who made a total of 89 laps. Just like yesterday, both clocked rather average times and finished more than one second behind the lead.
Other ‘veterans’, like Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg have been working hard on the new Renault RS19, although they finished the day far beyond the leading times as well. Only Kevin Magnussen (Haas) managed to get a place between the youngsters and clocked the third fastest time: 1:19.206, behind the aggressive Norris, who was second fastest with 1:18.553, although on a softer compound.
In fact, the youngsters showed their strong character from the first moment of the session. The only two red flags shown today were caused by two off-tracks; one by Albon, right after getting onto the track, on Turn 4, and another by Gasly, who crashed against the wall in the Stadium area, featuring what was, with no doubt, the image of the day.
Eventually and opposed to what had been announced, Pietro Fittipaldi joined the party today to make his debut as new test driver for Haas. The grandson of the legendary two-times world champion Emerson Fittipaldi will be back on the track tomorrow, Wednesday, although the main attraction will be watching Polish driver Robert Kubica back at the wheel of a F1® car, after the serious accident he had in 2011 while participating at Rally Andorra. There will be activity on the track from 9.00h to 13.00h and from 14.00h to 18.00h, although the box office at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya will open at 8.30h.
Fans will be able to access the facilities through gate 3 and watch the action from the Main Grandstand and from Grandstands F and G. The tests are free for all holders of a ticket for the FORMULA 1 EMIRATES GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 2019, as well as for Circuit Members and Officials. There are also other very attractive ticket modalities that include from guided tours to paddock access.
