2017 pre-season testing: Drivers’ best times and tyres used

2017 F1 season

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The final day of pre-season testing has concluded at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Here are the best times set by all drivers over the full eight days of testing, and the tyre they used to set their best times.

Pos.DriverTeamEngineTimeGapTyre
1Kimi RaikkonenFerrariFerrari1’18.634Super-soft
2Sebastian VettelFerrariFerrari1’19.0240.390Ultra-soft
3Valtteri BottasMercedesMercedes1’19.3100.676Super-soft
4Lewis HamiltonMercedesMercedes1’19.3520.718Ultra-soft
5Felipe MassaWilliamsMercedes1’19.4200.786Ultra-soft
6Max VerstappenRed BullTAG-Heuer1’19.4380.804Super-soft
7Carlos Sainz JnrToro RossoRenault1’19.8371.203Ultra-soft
8Nico HulkenbergRenaultRenault1’19.8851.251Ultra-soft
9Daniel RicciardoRed BullTAG-Heuer1’19.9001.266Ultra-soft
10Sergio PerezForce IndiaMercedes1’20.1161.482Ultra-soft
11Esteban OconForce IndiaMercedes1’20.1611.527Ultra-soft
12Jolyon PalmerRenaultRenault1’20.2051.571Ultra-soft
13Lance StrollWilliamsMercedes1’20.3351.701Soft
14Daniil KvyatToro RossoRenault1’20.4161.782Super-soft
15Kevin MagnussenHaasFerrari1’20.5041.870Ultra-soft
16Stoffel VandoorneMcLarenHonda1’21.3482.714Ultra-soft
17Fernando AlonsoMcLarenHonda1’21.3892.755Ultra-soft
18Romain GrosjeanHaasFerrari1’21.3892.755Ultra-soft
19Marcus EricssonSauberFerrari1’21.6703.036Ultra-soft
20Pascal WehrleinSauberFerrari1’22.3473.713Ultra-soft
21Antonio GiovinazziSauberFerrari1’22.4013.767Ultra-soft
22Alfonso CelisForce IndiaMercedes1’23.5684.934Ultra-soft

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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41 comments on “2017 pre-season testing: Drivers’ best times and tyres used”

  1. I do wonder how the works Ferrari’s can be leading the times, and all their customers are languishing so far behind…

    1. I mean, really?

    2. It’s really just one customer that matters in the comparison, & there’s no comparing Haas to Ferrari: Sauber is running last year’s engines.

      1. They totally separate aero development as far as I understand. Which counts for ALOT in a car’s performance.

    3. I wonder how Ferrari can be so fast and Sauber so slow. I mean, it’s the same formula, right? The rules are the same. Oh, the misteries of life.

      1. Sauber are working to a very tight budget, so I suspect they are less interested in fast lap times and more interested in getting the set up of the car right, making sure their car is reliable, completing the testing, and then going home.
        I think their aim for this season is to rely on their engine’s reliability and the extra development time to hopefully give them an early points advantage compared to their competitors, because their pace will be degraded relative to their competitors through the season, so points will become more scarce as the season progresses.

      2. Last seaso, the gap between Manor and Mercedes also baffled me. I mean they both had the exact same power output, yet they were nearly 4 seconds a lap apart. It’s a conspiracy I say!

        1. XDDD +1

        2. Well for a start, the engine only makes the car go in a forwards direction, it is the aerodynamics and the suspension design that keeps it on the road and makes it go round corners! If you looked at the speed trap figures on some circuits the Manor was right up there with most of them in straight line speed – it just couldn’t get round the next corner at a competitive speed, irrespective of the motor. The same applies to any team that is buying an engine unit. It’s usually down to lack of money and therefore lack of proper facilities (no wind tunnel makes what they are doing little more than guesswork) even with elementary cfd facilities.

          1. I think your missing the bathtub full of sarcasm here

  2. Only around three tenths slower than the fastest ever lap of the current layout of this circuit. I think 1:18.634 is the third fastest time ever set around this circuit since the usage of the current layout.

  3. Hmmz, the title is incorrect, it implies the best time on specific tyres are also included.
    So, where are the results of the intermediates and full wet tyres?

    1. Nope, it’s perfectly correct. It means “Drivers’ [overall] best times and tyres used [to set each best overall time]”. The parts within brackets are implied, of course, titles are meant to be short.

      1. I do really wish we could see each drivers best lap times on each compound. That would give some additional reference points to compare. Vettel’s fast lap on Soft was about the same as Lewis did on US I believe… of course, we know Mercedes always holds a few cards back. I can’t wait for Melbourne.

        On the new cars… the way I see it, they already look natural and normal which the old cars never achieved with that goofy rear wing and too skinny car. Grippy tires on fast proper F1 beasts… can’t wait…

        I have been watching F1 so long, I remember when Senna joined F1. Still remember watching Senna and Prost duke it out around the streets of Detroit back in ’88. I had been to countless races including the Indy 500, but the sound and speed of F1 was on a completely different level. F1 may still be the pinnacle of motorsport, but nothing like the old days where F1 towered over any other series on pure pace. jI have high hopes Ross Brawn will right the ship.

        For everyone who says sound does not matter, I respectfully disagree… Sound is visceral, it gives goosebumps while still sitting still before the hammer is ever dropped. Sound can be the deciding factor on what one drives…How much money is spent on street cars to improve sound and revs….The day I bought my C5 Vette, I started looking for pipes to make it actually sound like a Vette, not some city bus driving by. The extra power that came with the pipes and air induction was nice, but that was not my goal… The sound coming out of the C5 after the pipes were installed was music.

        Given time, if we continue to only pursue technology, racing will die in a few years. Costs are too high… and no matter what people say about hearing tires and other sounds, the engine is the heart of all racing…. Period. Taking away the sound is like castrating race cars. Over time, no one will show up to watch.

        For those of you who have never been to a NHRA event… 335 mph in 1000 ft. W0W… but all people talk about is the sound and fury. Stand next to the fence at the starting line, you will find you are 2 inches removed from fence just from power of those cars leaving the line. Speed for speeds sake is not enough, feeling and hearing the awesome power is what really pulls the fans in. Speed without fury just won’t carry F1 or racing in general; Ross Brawn said the same in a recent interview.

        1. Agreed. I couldn’t have said it any better. You’ve got to feel the fury and the sound. I’ve watched only one race live. The inaugural Indian Gp in 2011. I still remember the sound those blown diffusers made. It gave me goosebumps. And I hadn’t heard them on the TV until then. The FOM coverage somehow manages to make something so visceral and spectacular into something so antiseptic. I don’t know how they manage to do that.

  4. Of far greater interest than “fastest” lap would be to see a break-down of the race sims/longer stints; type of tyre, how many laps, average lap time and fall-off (if any) towards the end of these stints. From the “fastest” lap info, we can only make guesses such as pole in Australia being between Ferrari and Mercedes (who have a history of sandbagging during pre-season testing and always manage to get another ½ second in quali from more aggressive engine mapping), that there is a good chance of at least one Williams qualifying ahead of RBR and that Sauber will be at the back of the field. McLaren, with what in effect is a new engine, is the joker and could be anywhere from just ahead of the Saubers to having a shot at getting into Q3. How much showboating did Renault in particular but also Toro Rosso do to get below 1:20??? What of Haas and Force India???

  5. The data would probably be too hard to collect, but a table of fastest times in each tyre would be interesting. I have Ferrari fastest by 0.4 – 0.6 seconds on each tyre, on the laat day: 1.18.9 ultrasoft, 1.18.6 supersoft, 1.19.2 soft, alsobi remember a 1.20.1 on mediums.

    1. Who did the 20.1 on Mediums? Never seen that time on Medium i saw low 21’s but 20’s ??

      1. Ferrari an red bull did in 1.20, I think redbull did a 1.20.4

        1. rbr never dipped below 21’s on medium most of the teams apart from Ferrari didn’t used Medium at all. As far as i can remember i saw a 21.3 on mediums as fastest time but i dont remember i saw a 20 cant exactly tell but may be with the prototype mediums i saw Vettel doing 21.1 but they wont count as its prototype

      2. Would havecto go through each day autosport live city moment updates to confirm…

  6. So, high 16s for the GP pole?

    1. ExcitedAbout17
      11th March 2017, 17:14

      will have to do it on Softs though!

      PS – impressive time by Lance Stroll on those Softs.

  7. mark jackson
    11th March 2017, 3:41

    Bottas is faster than Hamilton AND used a harder tire. Things aren’t looking good for poor old Lewis.

    1. Clearly you haven’t been paying attention to the news coming out of the Mercedes garage. Lauda mentioned that Bottas is 0.2s a lap slower than Lewis in quali pace and a little bit slower in race pace. While I like the optimism of Bottas fans/Lewis detractors… Let’s wait a little longer to find out how much ‘trouble’ Lewis is in

      1. You’re right, but that’s still pretty impressive (and, at least for me, surprising): just two tenths of difference. Lewis has been with the team for four years, he can drive the car in his sleep. On the other hand, at this stage Bottas should still be figuring out how to change gears. If it is true that he’s just two or three tenths slower, that’s really impressive, and a huge cause of concern for Lewis.

  8. Michael Brown (@)
    11th March 2017, 4:04

    Could someone combine the fastest sectors to give a fastest ideal lap time?

  9. Keith-> Would it be possible for you, to make a list with fastest laps times for each tire compound??

  10. Fastest laps by Compound
    1:18.9xx – Ultra soft – Raikkonnen
    1:18.634 – Super Soft – Raikkonnen
    1:19.267 – Soft – Raikkonnen
    1:21.3xx – Medium – Vettel
    for the Ultra soft and Medium the exact lap time was missed

    1. I just found a 1:21.1 on day 2 test 2 by vettel on mediums. I thought he did a 1:20.1

  11. What do you think they will beat fastest lap record in every circuit in 2017 if weather conditions will be good? (Even in Monza?)

    1. @patent I think they will beat the outright lap records on each circuit if all qualifying sessions are run in dry conditions, and regarding Monza: If the proposed layout change for this year goes ahead then lap time comparison there to previous seasons will become entirely incomparable, but if it doesn’t go ahead then I think even Montoya’s 1:19.525 from 2004 could be under threat.

  12. Is there a table of the fastest laps per driver per tire compound? Then it will be easier to compare these lap times.

  13. Even if Mercedes do have their customary ‘1 second in the bag’ when they start racing, it should still be close between the Ferraris and the Mercs. Even if the advantage is 0.3s to 0.4s a lap, Ferrari should be able to put up a good fight.

    At the back, it should be an exciting race with Sauber and Mclaren as well. I cannot believe that I will be watching Ericcson battle Alonso this season.

    1. @todfod How do you cope mate? F1 must be agony for you these days, i was the same in 2012 with Hamilton i hope you get a little bit of deserved luck. I hope Red Bull or Alo win if Hamilton fails to. I assume you are the same i bet a Vet win with Ferrari would not be nice. I still feel that would hurt Alo the most seeing Vet win a WC with Ferrari.

      1. Alonso’s Mclaren Honda stint was a write off since pre season in 2015. Only glimmer of hope is that Alonso’s contract expires at the end of this season… and so does Lewis’ at Mercedes.

  14. So we still need to wait until P2 in Melbourne to start building a clear picture or it’s time to be extremely excited about Ferrari?

  15. A Vettel vs Hamilton season would be great one goes for 5 other trys to tie with 4. I just hope we have no dominant ferrari Hamilton raced a driver who could actually beat him and was allowed to. Kimi is not a good driver atall. Do not let 10 or so GP in a row in qually fool you. He is so slow compared to his best. We also have never knew how fast ferrari is we would need Ves Ric or Ham to find the benchmark of it. I am still not convinced by Vet after he went up against Ric and him getting beat by a past it driver in qually does little to change that. I mean who else wishes a diff driver was in the Ferrari, Kimi is not good.

    Before people say how about Nico vs Hamilton, Nico was the only teammate i have feared in Hamilton’s carear in qually. Hamilton would had a far easier time with Button in these regulations then say a Nico Rosberg.

  16. Ferrari do the honourable thing and help the guy who kept you relevant for years where you had no right being relevant. Call Mcaren up he still has it he beat Kimi far more convincingly and Kimi is even older these days. I bet Seb would not like that. Or get someone in younger or same ages he struggled last time that happend. All Vet has is 4 titles and good stats is reputation is one of the worst for a multiple champ i have ever seen.

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