Leclerc warns rivals with impressive pace
The morning session on day 3 at Barcelona was one with a clear warning signal for Ferrari rivals, as Leclerc not only went fastest so far this test, but also showed impressive speed on harder compound tyres.
Leclerc's fastest lap is just two-tenths slower than Lewis Hamilton's pole lap time from the Spanish Grand Prix last year. He did however also post a 1m17.2s on the white walled C2 tyre, a time which McLaren and others had reached in previous days by running the super soft C5 compound.
Alexander Albon came closest but was still more than 6 tenths slower on the same tyres. Norris failed to break into the 1m16's and was third fastest by lapping in 1m17.084s.
Pierre Gasly for Red Bull Racing set a similar best, followed by Hulkenberg and Stroll.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Williams' George Russel were slowest, nearly 2 seconds slower than the pace setting Ferrari.
It’s time to pause for lunch. And for thought, as we see the fastest lap times set so far this year. We’re already quicker than last year’s test and closing in on the 2018 pole. #Fit4F1 pic.twitter.com/wlKKHdIjnT
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) February 28, 2019
Results
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:16.231 | - | 55 |
| 2 | Alexander Albon | Toro Rosso | 1:16.882 | +0.651 | 75 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:17.084 | +0.853 | 65 |
| 4 | Pierre Gasly | Red Bull Racing | 1:17.091 | +0.860 | 44 |
| 5 | Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | 1:17.496 | +1.265 | 71 |
| 6 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point | 1:17.556 | +1.325 | 37 |
| 7 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing | 1:17.639 | +1.408 | 49 |
| 8 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:18.097 | +1.866 | 85 |
| 9 | George Russell | Williams | 1:18.130 | +1.899 | 45 |
| 10 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas F1 | 1:18.199 | +1.968 | 53 |
| 11 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | no time | - | 0 |
| 12 | Romain Grosjean | Haas F1 | no time | - | 0 |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | no time | - | 0 |
