Kimi Raikkonen Fastest on Final Day of F1 Pre-Season Testing

Ferrari were fastest on the final day of pre-season testing through Kimi Raikkonen, with the 2007 Formula 1 World Champion setting the fastest lap of pre-season testing over the past two weeks with a 1:18.634 on the supersoft tyre.

Following Raikkonen in second place was Max Verstappen for Red Bull Racing, setting a  1:19.438 also on the supersoft tyre, a considerable 0.804 seconds slower than the Ferrari. Verstappen completed 71 laps.

Carlos Sainz Jr was third fastest for Toro Rosso, setting a 1:19.837 on the ultrasoft tyre. Sainz also completed an impressive 132 laps over the day – the joint highest number of laps alongside Lance Stroll for Williams.

Mercedes were fourth and fifth fastest with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas sharing testing duties over the course of the final day. Bottas ended the session in fourth place, setting a 1:19.845 and completing 53 laps while Hamilton set a 1:19.850 on the soft compound tyre, completing 54 laps.

Nico Hulkenberg ended the session following the two Mercedes drivers in sixth place for Renault, setting a best lap time of a 1:19.885 on the ultrasoft tyre. The former Force India driver shared testing duties with Jolyon Palmer for the final day of testing. Palmer finished the session in eighth place, setting a 1:20.205 on the ultrasoft tyre.

Sergio Perez split the two Renault drivers for Force India, setting a 1:20.116 on the ultrasofts. Perez also completed a very impressive 128 laps over the final day.

Lance Stroll finished the session in ninth place for Williams, setting a 1:20.335 on the softs. Stroll also set 132 laps over the day.

Haas F1 finished in tenth place with Romain Grosjean after setting a 1:21.110 on the ultrasofts. In the morning session, Haas had limited running, breaking down twice, nevertheless, the team managed to complete 76 laps.

Fernando Alonso was 11th fastest, setting a 1:21.389 on the ultrasoft tyre. The final day of testing once again proved disruptive for McLaren, with the team again failing to complete over 50 laps for the third day in succession. With this being the final day of pre-season testing before the Australian Grand Prix, the team are not in good shape, suffering from reliability issues and failure after failure for the past two weeks.

The two Sauber drivers of Marcus Ericsson and Pascal Wehrlein rounded out the field on the final day, being 12th and 13th. Ericsson set a 1:21.670 on the supersofts while Wehrlein posted a 1:23.527 on the softs. In total the team completed 101 laps over the course of the day.

Results from Day 4 of Second Pre-Season Test:

  1. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:18.634 – supersofts (111 laps)
  2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1:19.438 – supersofts (71 laps)
  3. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso, 1:19.837 – ultrasofts (132 laps)
  4. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 1:19.845 – supersofts (53 laps)
  5. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:19.850 – softs (54 laps)
  6. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault, 1:19.885 – ultrasofts (45 laps)
  7. Sergio Perez, Force India, 1:20.116 – ultrasofts (128 laps)
  8. Jolyon Palmer, Renault, 1:20.205 – ultrasofts (43 laps)
  9. Lance Stroll, Williams, 1:20.335 – softs (132 laps)
  10. Romain Grosjean, Haas F1, 1:21.110 – ultrasofts (43 laps)
  11. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:21.389 – ultrasofts (43 laps)
  12. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1:21.670 – supersofts (59 laps)
  13. Pascal Wehrlein, Sauber, 1:23.527 – softs (42 laps)

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