Paul Jeffrey
Premium
Daniil Kvyat puts Toro Rosso to the top of the times with a mega lap right at the end of the third day of pre-season testing in Spain.
Day 3 of Formula One testing at Barcelona would be a very good one for Toro Rosso, the small Italian outfit setting the quickest time of the day right at the very end of the session, leaving the honours to fall with Grand Prix returnee Daniil Kvyat - the Russian driver dusting off the cobwebs in fine style to pop to the top of the timesheets in the final fifteen minutes of running at Barcelona - edging out the impressive Alfa Romeo of Kimi Räikkönen.
With laptimes of little importance during pre-season testing, the quick lap from Kvyat isn't necessarily a sign that Toro Rosso have a strong car for the year ahead, but the performance today will most certainly be a boost for both team and driver, and gives us our first look at why Toro Rosso believe the Russian former Red Bull driver is now ready for yet another shot at the pinnacle of open wheel motorsport.
Having run for a very solid 137 laps, Toro Rosso will undoubtedly be pleased with their performance today, however one of the most impressive performers would be Kimi Räikkönen in the new Alfa Romeo Racing car, the oldest driver on the grid managing to put together no less than 138 laps during the day, spending much of the session firmly within the top lap times and showing both reliability, speed and consistency throughout eight hours of running. With Kimi Räikkönen already stating that he is pleased with progress so far, a very solid looking year looks likely for the returning marque this year.
A good day would also be had by the Renault team and Daniel Ricciardo, the French outfit having their most convincing period of running this year to go third overall, with Ricciardo getting some much needed time behind the wheel to clock a very solid 80 laps of the Barcelona circuit.
Other notable names taking part today would be a Fittipaldi behind the wheel of a black and gold Formula One car. No, you haven't gone back in time to the 1970's... this is young Pietro Fittipaldi, taking some much needed track time in the new Haas Ferrari as he continues to gain experience in his role as third and reserve driver for the American outfit. Unfortunately for Haas and their drivers, the American squad would be the cause of all three red flags today - grinding to a halt out on circuit in the hands of both Fittipaldi and team lead driver Romain Grosjean. Citing ignition coil issues for the stoppages, plenty of work remains to ready the car and solidify reliability for Kevin Magnussen tomorrow.
Day 3 would also be a good news story for Williams, the under pressure outfit finally heading to the circuit for the first time this season with the brand new FW42, driving duties falling to George Russell as the team looked to get a handle on the new machine before further parts are delivered later on to allow the team to perform serious aerodynamic work on the new car. Russell would manage a reassuring 23 laps today, although the car wouldn't be able to better a 1:25.6, putting him firmly at the foot of the times, some 7.9 seconds away from the ultimate pace.
For more from the world of Formula One, head over to the RaceDepartment Formula One sub forum and join in with fellow fans of the top level of open wheel motorsport.
Like what we do at RaceDepartment? Follow us on Social Media!
Like what we do at RaceDepartment? Follow us on Social Media!
Last edited:
