Abu Dhabi Test: Day 1 Recap
December 3, 2019
Date: Tuesday, December 3
Location: Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Layout: 5.554-kilometer (3.451-mile), 21-turn circuit
Driver: Romain Grosjean
Laps Completed: 146 laps
Distance Completed: 810.884 kilometers (503.846 miles)
Best Lap Time: 1:39.526 (5th overall)
Fastest Lap: 1:37.124 by Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes
Most Laps: 153 laps by Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing
Rundown
The first of two test days at Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi began Tuesday with Romain Grosjean steering the Haas VF-19 for the final time in 2019.
All 10 teams that competed in the 2019 Formula One World Championship were present with a total of 12 different drivers logging laps throughout the day.
Grosjean accumulated 146 laps working through a program of comparison runs between Pirelli’s 2019 tires and proposed 2020 compounds. His fastest time, a 1:39.526, was set on the 2020 C5 rubber – placing him 5th overall on the timesheet.
Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes set Tuesday’s best time (1:37.124) while Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen ran the most laps (153).
Romain Grosjean, Driver No. 8, Haas F1 Team
“We’ve had a good test checking the 2019 tires versus the 2020 ones. We were seeing what we can prepare for next year, and which ones are better to run. I think it was a very positive day. The preparation was excellent, and the team have done a good job – I’m very happy with that. We made a few minor tweaks to the car to see what we can learn for the future – some things were positive. I’m looking forward to meeting our 2020 challenger.”
Next Up
Test driver Pietro Fittipaldi takes over the Haas VF-19 on Wednesday for the final day of F1 testing at Yas Marina Circuit.