Barcelona Test No. 2: Day 3 Recap

Overview

Date: Thursday, March 3
Location: Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya       
Layout: 4.655-kilometer (2.89-mile), 16-turn circuit
Driver: Romain Grosjean
Laps Completed: 78
Distance Completed: 363.09 kilometers (225.61 miles)
Best Lap Time: 1:27.196
Fastest Lap: 1:22.765 by Kimi Raikkonen (Scuderia Ferrari)
Most Laps: 159 by Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso)

Rundown

The penultimate day of pre-season testing at Circuit de Catalunya – Barcelona proved challenging for Haas F1 Team, despite Romain Grosjean putting much needed mileage on the VF-16.

Grosjean recorded a total of 78 laps, 59 of which were set in the morning session. A solid 40-lap stint included a pit stop for a brand new set of Pirelli P Zero White medium tires. The run ended with Grosjean going off at turn four while under braking, resulting in the session being red flagged prior to the lunch break.

A mixed afternoon followed, as the ongoing development of the car’s brake-by-wire system resulted in a stop-start session, with two further stoppages limiting Grosjean’s run time to 19 laps. However, Grosjean set his best time of the day, a 1:27.196, on his 63^rd lap with the VF-16 rolling on the Pirelli P Zero Yellow soft tire.

Romain Grosjean, Driver No. 8, Haas F1 Team

“Not an easy day, not an easy week for us, so far. The first week of testing went very well. The second has been a bit tricky. We’ve had some challenges with the brake-by-wire system on the car, which has made things a bit complicated. However, we’re working on it. At the end of the day, I had an off on turn nine. So it wasn’t the best finish, but I think now we know where to look to get the car back to where it should be. Hopefully, tomorrow is a much better day.”

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas F1 Team

“It’s been a challenging day. However, we managed to get some running in, so that was a positive. We had some issues with the brake-by-wire system while trying to develop it. We’re still working on it and, therefore, it caused Romain to have a few offs, but this is what testing is about. We’re here to learn and, hopefully, we’ll be back out tomorrow to get some more laps in and understand the car better.”

Next Up

Grosjean is back behind the wheel of VF-16 on Friday, the eighth and final day of pre-season testing at Barcelona. 

Haas F1 Team makes its competitive debut in two weeks in Round 1 of the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Practice begins March 18, qualifying takes place March 19 and the race runs March 20.