Jerez test: Sebastian Vettel quickest on Ferrari debut as 2015 season gets underway
Mercedes start strongly as Rosberg completes 157 laps; McLaren-Honda partnership returns to F1 in the hands of Alonso
Monday 2 February 2015 18:21, UK
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel stole McLaren-Honda’s thunder on day one of the Jerez test as the former world champion set the pace on the first day of winter testing.
On a promising first day for the Scuderia, Vettel headed the field with a lap of 1:22.620 as he officially debuted for Ferrari after his transfer out of Red Bull.
“I had the opportunity over the winter to get to know the team, but of course this was the first proper day. We can be happy that we did quite a decent amount of laps," Vettel told reporters after the session.
"We had some problems with telemetry but that’s what when the car is new you come back in, you check and take it apart. These things take time, it would have been nice to have done more laps, but I think we can be quite happy with the first impression. It was quite good. Obviously it’s difficult to say at this stage, but for day one I think we can be reasonably happy.”
But with Marcus Ericsson's second place in the timesheets a vivid illustration of the unreliability of lap times in winter testing as a barometer of true pace, it was Mercedes who delivered the most emphatic declaration of their pedigree as the world champions coasted through proceedings in ominous style.
At the wheel of the W06, Mercedes’ newly-unveiled 2015 challenger, Nico Rosberg bettered the fastest time set at last year’s Jerez test within the first ninety minutes of the session commencing before recording over 150 laps.
Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton will make his first appearance in the W06 on Monday.
"That was the goal in the beginning to do a lot of mileage. Of course, I’m feeling a bit of pain here and there because to do it on the first day when the body’s not used to it, that was many, many laps!" Rosberg said after finishing the equivalent of two race distances during the eight-hour session.
"But it was a good day because that was our target as in the end you see what the problems were with the car. The other good thing is we haven’t found any major problems yet, which is always a good thing.
"Reliability’s very important for us because that was the main weakness last year. So that’s very important for us to nail that and we need to use the opportunity to find all the problems and get them sorted before we get to the first race."
On a predictably difficult day for McLaren-Honda, Alonso recorded just six laps - a measly total which was something of an inevitability given the problems the rest of the field endured a year ago when they tested their V6 units for the first time, but an acute disappointment nevertheless for the throng of spectators packed into Jerez to watch the Spaniard debut the MP4-30.
The Spaniard sat out the entire afternoon session on his return to the Woking-based team and he will hand over the car to Jenson Button on Monday.
Daniel Ricciardo, driving a disguised RB11, was fourth fastest. While limited to 35 laps by a combination of a battery failure and then separate problem related to the car's Renault engine, Red Bull stayed under the radar, as much by deliberate design than performance disadvantage after the team’s 2015 challenger was unveiled in a camouflage livery.
Although Ferrari had pipped Mercedes to the honour of getting the first car out on track in 2015 – Vettel bolting past Rosberg at the end of the pitlane as the light turned green at 9am – the Scuderia endured a quiet morning as Vettel completed just nine laps while the team performed a series of systems checks. However, mid-way through the afternoon the former World Champion suddenly lit up the timing screens with laps in the 1:22s.
Vettel set the fastest lap of the day on three separate occasions in the afternoon, but before anyone considers a flutter on the German regaining the world title, it shouldn't be forgotten that Kimi Raikkonen was fastest in Jerez a year ago - and look how 2014 turned out for him.
Day one timesheet
1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1:22.620, 60 laps
2. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1:22.777, 73 laps
3. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:23.106, 157 laps
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1:23.338, 35 laps
5. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:23.906, 73 laps
6. Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso, 1:25.327, 46 lap
7. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:40.738, 6 laps
The Sky Sports F1 Online team will be providing live commentary from all four days of testing in Jerez – from dawn on Sunday to dusk on Wednesday. Sky Sports News HQ will also have live updates from trackside.
