Ferrari was the fastest car in the first testing session of the 2019 Formula One racing season and they were still the fastest car at the end of the second and final testing session before the cars make their debut at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix in two weeks.
After seeing Ferrari dominate the first testing session, Mercedes disposed of their sand bags in the second testing session in an effort to come away with the fastest lap time at the Catalunya track in Barcelona. But it was Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel who captured the top time – albeit, barely – over Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to end the testing session.
After a few years of domination on the circuit, Mercedes has seen the gap gradually close up to Ferrari and it now appears as though Ferrari may have the better – or at least equal – car to Mercedes in 2019 where Vettel and Hamilton are expected to duke it out for Hamilton’s sixth or Vettel’s fifth world title.
The top 10 times of the final testing session:
1. Vettel (Ferrari) 1:16.221 (C5 tire)
2. Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:16.224 (C5 tire)
3. V. Bottas (Mercedes) 1:16.561
4. N. Hulkenberg (Renault) 1:16.843
5. D. Kvyat (Toro Rosso) 1:16.898
6. C. Sainz (McLaren) 1:16.913
7. R. Grosjean (Haas) 1:17.076
8. D. Ricciardo (Renault) 1:17.114
9. K. Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) 1:17.239
10. K. Magnussen (Haas) 1:17.565