Ferrari ends F1 preseason with fastest vehicle— and doubts

MONTMELO, Spain (AP) — Ferrari can begin the Formula One season with the perception it has a car rapid sufficient to give Mercedes a title task. If that is, the Italian team can hold it at the tune. Sebastian Vettel concluded the F1 preseason on Friday quickly via the 8 days of trying out. Vettel’s lap of one minute, 16.221 seconds around the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit beat teammate Charles Leclerc’s pace-putting time from yesterday.

But Ferrari changed into left with doubts after an electrical issue delivered Vettel’s automobile to a stop at the side of the song, forcing it to be hauled returned to the garage. That ended their remaining threat to check the brand new vehicle with two and 1/2 hours of jogging left. The setback came two days after Vettel veered off route and crashed into the protective limitations for causes nevertheless being investigated with the group’s aid. On Thursday, Leclerc was also left stranded whilst his automobile stopped and began smoking.

“I’m now not thrilled for in which we’re in the meantime. I think I would really like to be quicker. We’d want to be more dependable,” Ferrari crew essential Mattia Binotto said. “So I suppose there may be still an awful lot to do, and the season has no longer started but.” Also worrying for Ferrari, protecting champion Lewis Hamilton ultimately confirmed a few speeds in his Mercedes via clocking the second one-best time at simply zero.003 seconds at the back of Vettel.

Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas became next, accompanied by Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg and Daniil Kvyat in his Toro Rosso. Ferrari finished runner-up as Mercedes received its 5th consecutive championship ultimate season, eighty-four factors adrift within the constructors’ race. Before placing his time overdue on Friday, Hamilton stated that Ferrari turned into looking just like the stronger team heading into the season-establishing Australian Grand Prix in weeks. “This goes to be the hardest struggle,” Hamilton said. “Ferrari’s pace could be very, very good in the meanwhile. So the challenge is going to be harder than ever.”