Abu Dhabi Tire Test 2018 (Day 2): Ferrari breakdown at Leclerc's debut

28/11/2018

After the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, fans in the desert have always had a glimpse of the coming season. Kimi Raikkonen (Sauber), George Russell (Williams) and Lance Stroll (Force India) participated in the first day of testing Tuesday for the first time for their new teams on the road. On Wednesday, some more drivers slipped into new combinations.

We could be particularly excited before the first appearance of Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari SF71-H. The junior Monegasque has delivered a very good rookie season at Sauber. Now begins a new era for the young. The newcomer at Maranello wants to warm up Sebastian Vettel from the start.

In Abu Dhabi, he was able to entrust a first perfume brand. However, the day started with a small breakdown. From the first run, he tore some of the side panels. When the carbon was in shreds, it was either a material defect or a foreign object on the track that had hit the Ferrari. After a change of coverage, the test day can be continued as planned. In the morning, Leclerc realized directly the best lap in the race.

First appearance at McLaren for Carlos Sainz

Photo: sutton-images.com

At the McLaren with starting number 55, you have to get used to it.

Also at Red Bull, a junior driver was promoted to regular driver. Pierre Gasly joins Team A from Toro Rosso's energy drink manufacturer. He also wants to challenge the best dog on the team, known as Max Verstappen at Red Bull. The third changer, who started Wednesday in the new team, is Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard replaces his compatriot Fernando Alonso at the McLaren.

In addition to the acclimatization of the new teams, it was especially for the pilots on Tuesday, to make a first impression with the new generation Pirelli tires 2019. The rubber supplier equipped the old cars and new tablecloths so that the pilots can get a first idea, give a good return of information and collect exploitable data.

F1 drivers in a new look

In addition to the aforementioned Ferrari drivers, Red Bull and McLaren were also Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes), Lance Stroll (Force India), Robert Kubica and George Russell (Williams), Artem Markelov (Renault), Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso), Louis Deletraz (HaasF1) and Antonio Giovinazzi (Sauber) in action. Since Pirelli defines the program and the tire mixes used in the ten cars, the clbadification times are not very significant.

In the gallery, we show you the best images of the test day, including, of course, the first pictures of the candidates for change in their new outfits.