LIVE: Day 1 of the winter test in Barcelona! *CLOSED*

Welcome to our live blog for the F1 winter tests in Barcelona. We will help you stay up to date with everything that happens during out on track during the tests in Spain!

At long last!

It's been a long wait and there's still a long time until the first Grand Prix, but in any case, the months of silence are over, because the first serious kilometres with the new cars with which the teams will drive in 2019 will be made on Monday 18 February.

Where's the main attention? 

Even though the winter is not yet out of sight, the end of a long period in which F1 fans look forward to the new season is approaching. Formula 1 is starting to live again, the teams have presented their cars and the first battle to collect as much data as possible can begin. It'll be extra interesting to see how Red Bull gets on with their new Honda engine for the first time ever.

All eyes will be once again on Mercedes and Ferrari. Who's going to come out on top? Who's going to fire the first mini shot? And also Red Bull wants to prove they can fight with the best. And of course, McLaren. The British team will be looking to fight back!

Weather

Last year, the opening test struggled because of the snow. Even though February can still be a cold month in Barcelona, this year the Spanish asphalt is flooded with sunlight and the temperature is a bit higher. Ideal conditions to get the first insights into how cars relate to each other!

Where is Williams?

All the more trouble for Williams as they will miss a complete day of winter testing. The British team announced they will start testing on Tuesday. The deadline for completing the FW42 was missed, so the team also let the film day pass by. George Russell will be there from the second day of testing, Robert Kubica from Wednesday afternoon as new test driver Nicholas Latifi will receive his baptism of fire Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

Wondering who will take action when? Then you can always check out our overview of the first test week!