Mercedes endured a disastrous eight hours in the penultimate day of F1 winter testing in Barcelona. After Valtteri Bottas had some troubles in the morning, Lewis Hamilton took over in the afternoon session and spent the first hour in the garage. When Mercedes finally sent out the six-time Formula 1 world champion, he broke down on the track with an oil pressure issue. Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari topped the timesheets.
Mercedes issues
The Hamilton breakdown marks the fourth time a Mercedes engine has had serious trouble in Barcelona this season, with Williams also stopping out on track. With just one day of testing left before the teams head to Australia, Mercedes mechanics have some overnight work on their hands.
During the afternoon session, teams opted to test their cars with long runs. The lack of red flags has helped boost the amount of data collected. Nicholas Latifi had his best day in a Formula 1 car. His fastest time was a 1:17.313.
Mercedes issues
The Hamilton breakdown marks the fourth time a Mercedes engine has had serious trouble in Barcelona this season, with Williams also stopping out on track. With just one day of testing left before the teams head to Australia, Mercedes mechanics have some overnight work on their hands.
During the afternoon session, teams opted to test their cars with long runs. The lack of red flags has helped boost the amount of data collected. Nicholas Latifi had his best day in a Formula 1 car. His fastest time was a 1:17.313.