Barcelona Tests Day 1: Mark Webber Sets the Pace

The last private testing session of the season began today, with a return to Barcelona for 5 days. Indeed, some teams have decided to postpone the start of their tests, or simply take a one-day break in the middle of the week.

The morning was marked by two red flags, the first by Buemi early in the day, and the second by Davide Valsecchi, a driver tested by Team Lotus, just before midday. This half-day saw Webber’s RB7 and Nick Heidfeld’s R31 battling at the front, before the Australian set a new benchmark time, dethroning Felipe Massa’s previous record achieved during earlier tests on the same track.

After the lunch break, Paul Di Resta takes the wheel of the Force India previously driven by Nico Hülkenberg, Vitaly Petrov replaces his teammate who is suffering from a mild cold, while Team Lotus tests another driver in the person of Luiz Razia. The Lotus Renault GP driver will improve the team’s time, while Jenson Button’s McLaren moves into 2nd place behind Mark Webber’s Red Bull Renault, which once again shows very good reliability with 97 laps completed. Sergio Perez’s Sauber settles in 4th position between the two Lotus Renault GP drivers after briefly holding the best time due to cutting a chicane, but his time was invalidated.

The results of the first day of private testing in Barcelona: