Rain, Fire and Russian Grand Prix: A Recap of F1 Preseason Testing, Day 3

As preseason testing came to a close at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya,  a tumultuous Day 3 featured rain, fire and a familiar name taking the fastest lap. 

Lewis Hamilton drove a 1:19.138 as Mercedes finished the day 1-2 and accumulated a combined 160 trips around the circuit. George Russell, who recently joined the team, was just 0.095 seconds behind Hamilton. 

But even though he clocked the fastest time of the three-day mad dash, Hamilton highlighted how there’s still work to be done. 

“It’s been an interesting few days,” he said to the media on Friday evening. “It’s not been the easiest, or the most smooth running. We’ve definitely had some obstacles to overcome. But we’ve got through as much as we wanted—of course we can always do more laps but I’m happy with today’s. I think I almost got 100 laps in today, so for half a day running, that's not too bad.

“We’re a little bit behind on the last two days. The car’s a lot different to previous years to drive, as are the tires, but we’re working our way through it.”

Friday was a stark contrast from the last two days in Barcelona when McLaren and Ferrari seemed to be the ones to beat. McLaren’s Lando Norris edged past Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and took the fastest lap at 1:19.568 while reigning world champion and Red Bull star Max Verstappen clocked in the most laps at 147 during the first day. Come Thursday, Leclerc held onto P1 with the fastest lap time at 1:19:689, and AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly came in a narrow second classification, hitting a 1:19:918 while also taking the most trips around the 2.892-mile circuit—a whopping 147.

The preseason testing in Spain brought different matters to light, such as “porpoising,” and questions loom, like the fate of Haas F1 Team's relationship with its title sponsor and driver, Nikita Mazepin. 

But as rush hour of day three comes and goes, read all about the rain and fire that came to Barcelona. 

Red Flags, Smoke and Fire

Fernando Alonso brought forth the first red flag of Friday’s testing as thick black smoke came from the vehicle. Alpine later released a statement confirming that his stoppage was because of a hydraulics problem. 

“After further investigations in the garage following Fernando Alonso’s on-track stoppage earlier this morning, the team can confirm the issue was a problem with the hydraulics,” the statement said. “A minor sealing issue led to a fire in the back of the car. The team has successfully completed 266 laps during the three days of the Barcelona shakedown. Repairs on the car will continue, and as a result we won’t be running for the remainder of the day. We look forward to be back in action at the next test in Bahrain.”

Not too long after, Gasly crashed his car and Zhou Guanyu went off the track. But it didn’t end there. During the final minutes of the morning session, Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin stopped because of an oil leak, causing a fire.

Alpine, AlphaTauri, Haas and Aston Martin all missed the afternoon session to address their respective vehicles' issues. 

The latest on the Russian Grand Prix and Haas F1 Team. 

On Thursday night, the Formula One CEO met with the teams and FIA to discuss September’s Russian Grand Prix after the country invaded Ukraine earlier that day.

F1 released a statement on Friday, saying, in part, “it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances.”

Meanwhile, Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner commented on the team’s title sponsor, Uralkali, and Russian driver Nikita Mazepin. The driver is the son of the company’s founder, Dmitry Mazepin, and according to ESPN, Dmitry was one of the business leaders who met with President Vladimir Putin on Thursday about the sanctions on Russia.

As far as Nikita’s status, Steiner said on Friday, “It needs to be resolved.”

“Not everything depends from us here what is happening. There's governments involved, I have no power over them, and we also need to see how the situation develops in Ukraine.”

Onto Bahrain

As Aston Martin tweeted, “All good things come to an end.”

But never fear, your favorite Formula One drivers will be back in action come March for preseason testing in Bahrain, not to mention the season is slated to begin with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 20. 

Until then, team principals and drivers shared their thoughts and feelings on Barcelona.  

• Bubba Wallace: ‘The Start of Something Big’
• Haas F1’s Guenther Steiner Says Nikita Mazepin’s Status ‘Needs to be Resolved’
• F1: It’s ‘Impossible’ to Hold Russian Grand Prix Given ‘Current Circumstances’
• Max Verstappen’s Title: How Grueling Battle Turned Into Dream Come True