Button leads first test of 2013
2013 F1 season
McLaren started 2013 the way they ended 2012, with a mixture of performance and unreliability.
Jenson Button was sidelined with a fuel pump problem early on, missing a significant part of the test, but returned to the track to set a best time of 1’18.861.
Mark Webber was second fastest for Red Bull, having taken the quickest time of the day from Romain Grosjean with half an hour to go.
Fourth quickest was Paul di Resta, who also set the most laps of any driver in the session.
At the other end of the scale was Nico Rosberg, who stopped after 14 laps after a wiring loom fault caused a fire on his W04.
Following Rosberg and Button, the final red flag of the day appeared when Max Chilton spun at Curva Dry Sack with two hours remaining. He will be in the car again tomorrow but Marussia are yet to confirm who will drive the car on the remaining days or who his team mate will be.
| Driver | Car | Best time | Laps | Difference | Tyres | |
| 1 | Jenson Button | McLaren-Mercedes MP4-28 | 1’18.861 | 37 | Hard | |
| 2 | Mark Webber | Red Bull-Renault RB9 | 1’19.709 | 73 | 0.848 | Medium |
| 3 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus-Renault E21 | 1’19.796 | 54 | 0.935 | Hard |
| 4 | Paul di Resta | Force India-Mercedes VJM06 | 1’20.343 | 89 | 1.482 | Medium |
| 5 | Daniel Ricciardo | Toro Rosso-Ferrari STR8 | 1’20.401 | 70 | 1.540 | Hard |
| 6 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari F138 | 1’20.536 | 64 | 1.675 | Medium |
| 7 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber-Ferrari C32 | 1’20.699 | 79 | 1.838 | Hard |
| 8 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes W04 | 1’20.846 | 14 | 1.985 | Medium |
| 9 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams-Renault FW34 | 1’20.864 | 84 | 2.003 | Medium |
| 14 | Giedo van der Garde | Caterham-Renault CT03 | 1’21.915 | 64 | 3.054 | Soft |
| 23 | Max Chilton | Marussia-Cosworth MR02 | 1’24.176 | 29 | 5.315 | Medium |
2013 F1 season
- Ferrari have Mercedes within range as Red Bull lurk
- Mercedes stay on top as Grosjean shunts
- Live: 2013 Monaco Grand Prix second practice
- Rosberg puts Mercedes on top in Monaco
- Vettel attacks Pirelli over safety of tyres
Browse all 2013 F1 season articles
Image © F1 Fanatic | f1fanatic.co.uk
Cyclops_PL (@cyclops_pl) said on 5th February 2013, 16:14
@keithcollantine Model names of Sauber and Ferrari are mixed up
claudioff (@claudioff) said on 5th February 2013, 16:20
or maybe Keith have just foreseeing the future…
HoHum (@hohum) said on 5th February 2013, 16:49
Like he already knows how 2013 is going to end for McLaren.
Nickpkr21 said on 5th February 2013, 17:03
I guess he just decide to abandon this season to focus on the 2014 new regulatios
Nick.UK (@nick-uk) said on 5th February 2013, 18:35
Does he work at Mercedes too?
Sikander said on 5th February 2013, 16:17
Looks like Mercedes are continuing their 2012 form….
Guiii said on 5th February 2013, 16:19
Uh-oh… No good:
http://esporte.uol.com.br/f1/album/2013/02/05/primeiro-teste-coletivo-da-f1-em-2013.htm?abrefoto=13#fotoNav=13
frow14 said on 5th February 2013, 16:21
so 1st test and no real change at the top, Mclaren, Red Bull & Lotus …not sure if it tells us anything so early in but it does point the usual suspects being up there at the top at the 1st race. I do think Mercedes might just have a challenge to keep up and expect Ferrari to improve
firstLapNutcaseGrosjean (@sorin) said on 5th February 2013, 16:34
It tells us that Mclaren has realibility problems, again. The lap times doesn’t matter. I wonder from where are they importing car components. China?
JCost (@jcost) said on 5th February 2013, 20:35
What about Mercedes?
Sikander said on 5th February 2013, 21:02
Mercedes needs to improve and give Lewis a good car. The first day of testing is quite disappointing. I would love to see how Nikki Lauda reacts to this.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner) said on 6th February 2013, 6:51
I expect he’s not that bothered.
Ean (@ean) said on 5th February 2013, 16:54
These first days do not count for much. Last year Rosberg was the fastest after the first four days
AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse) said on 5th February 2013, 17:52
That was 2 years ago, and then he was running an older spec car with more downforce.
MagillaGorilla (@magillagorilla) said on 5th February 2013, 21:52
Considering Merc GP are right there with Ferrari, and you are just using circumstantial evidence…it does not say that Merc are in 2012 form. Especially if you give Ferrari the benefit of improving but no a car that is .3 seconds behind them…
frow14 said on 5th February 2013, 16:23
also it does seem that the cars with the vanity panels on the nose do look much better than the stepped noses
JamieFranklinF1 (@jamiefranklinf1) said on 5th February 2013, 16:28
Not much can be said about the first day really. What I will say is that Caterham were 1.2 seconds faster than their first day in testing last year, and four tenths down on their fastest overall, and McLaren were faster in this session than at any point during last season’s Jerez test (by them). Obviously this was going to happen with the softer tyres and the upgrades, but still interesting.
Meander (@meander) said on 5th February 2013, 16:32
I think Caterham had a good day. Hopefully a good start to the season.
Colossal Squid (@colossal-squid) said on 5th February 2013, 16:40
While as mentioned you can’t read too much from the first day, of all the teams on the grid Caterham really need to improve this year and start fighting for midfield positions. Here’s hoping they do!
Nick.UK (@nick-uk) said on 5th February 2013, 18:37
The tyre compounds are softer now, which would likely explain much of your observation.
Jake (@jleigh) said on 5th February 2013, 16:29
Very early days, but McLaren’s speed an consistency can’t be a bad thing. Mercedes time wasn’t bad considering the lack of laps and how early it was set in the session, but its impossible to gain anything at all from such a short amount of laps. Lotus put in some good times, but didn’t quite have the consistency over a run that the Red Bulls and McLarens had, perhaps meaning its not so easy to drive, but again, it’s too early to tell really.
Good to see all the midfield teams putting in similar times, so hopefully we’ll see a tight midfield this season.
Nothing else of much significance learnt today, but a hint to trying to read the testing times: completely ignore the fastest laps, compare the slowest consistent stints of each team, particularly the top teams like McLaren and Red Bull. I say this as I’m astounded at the number of serious Button WDC predictions I’ve heard already just because of one lap time!
AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse) said on 5th February 2013, 17:56
He also set the second fastest time, and his multi-lap runs in the low 1m20s were equalled by none. I’d say the signs of McLaren being quick are quite strong.
Patrickl (@patrickl) said on 5th February 2013, 18:38
Or, as Button implied, they were just simply running less fuel. Every lap of fuel less in the car can make them a tenth faster.
Skett (@skett) said on 5th February 2013, 20:43
Or its just the first test and not everybody has their setups quite there yet
schooner (@schooner) said on 5th February 2013, 16:32
Good on McLaren for hitting the top of the sheets after spending most of the day in the garage. Even though it doesn’t really mean a whole lot in terms ultimate performance, I’m sure they’re happier there than they would be lower down, or still stuck in the garage.
Deepak (@ideepak) said on 5th February 2013, 16:32
I never really understood testing. Can someone please explain to me what the purpose of testing is and what teams strive to do during this period ? Apart from the obvious like they are trying to correlate expectations and tweak things…
LoreMipsumdOtmElor said on 5th February 2013, 16:43
Well, first of all you have a new car and might just check if it actually works before going to the first race ;)
IrishF1 (@anto) said on 5th February 2013, 17:05
It allows the teams to gather as much on-track data as they can before Melbourne such as lap times, tyre wear, fuel consumption, downforce levels, car setups etc. It’s also the only chance the drivers have to get to grips with the new cars before the season starts.
Skett (@skett) said on 5th February 2013, 20:45
Oh man, how awesome would it be if the teams were required to use separate race and test drivers so the first time the racers drove it was australia quali!
Nickpkr21 said on 5th February 2013, 17:09
Tires, team building and getting use to are also addressed, bu more important than anything giving us fans a season mouth watering experience
Jarv F150 (@jarvf150) said on 5th February 2013, 17:38
I suspect the first test is mostly mechanical checks, looking for obvious faults such as “wiring loom faults”. Also at some point they all run out of fuel to check the gauges are working correctly.
Lots of laps like Force India & Williams is a good sign.
Going home early or staying in the garage are the signs to look for not speed at this point.
(Lotus last year with a carbon fiber chassis issue), staying in the garage a lot (Ferrari 2012 burning car & aero issues) & (McLaren 2011 with the malfunctioning octopus)
Setup and speed come later.
Nigel Bates (@nigel1) said on 5th February 2013, 17:51
Gary Anderson has a good explanation here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/21221526
claudioff (@claudioff) said on 6th February 2013, 11:18
To give f1 fanatics something to talk about until the season starts?
AlokIn (@alokin) said on 5th February 2013, 16:33
McLaren started 2013 the way they ended 2013 ? or ended 2012 ?
xjr15jaaag (@xjr15jaaag) said on 5th February 2013, 16:34
That’s a great name for a corner: Curva Dry Sack
Ben (@dirtyscarab) said on 5th February 2013, 17:05
Sounds like some sort of horrendous skin condition :)
dan (@f190) said on 5th February 2013, 17:52
Haha.. Nice
Brace (@brace) said on 5th February 2013, 17:19
Kurva in many eastern european languages means a prostitute. That sure is a funny name for a corner. XD
BasCB (@bascb) said on 6th February 2013, 13:11
Sure @brace, but the word is derived from the word for corner/bend in German (Kurve), which is not dissimilar in sound from Italian and Spanish, making it more a funny name for prostitute than for corner!
Luke (@lukes) said on 5th February 2013, 17:25
LOL COTD
Spawinte (@spawinte) said on 5th February 2013, 16:34
Be right back just heading out to put €100 on Button for the title :P
Nickpkr21 said on 5th February 2013, 17:12
Ehem ehem Perez I would say !
smudgersmith1 (@smudgersmith1) said on 5th February 2013, 17:25
No chance, he wont be within 25 points of JB at the end of the season
Kingshark (@kingshark) said on 5th February 2013, 18:36
You’re right. He wont be within 25 points of Button, he’ll be way ahead.
Fester said on 5th February 2013, 18:42
Perez with more points than Button at the end of the season? That’s the most hilarious thing I’ve heard in years…
Carl Craven said on 5th February 2013, 20:04
Considering how close Button ran Hamilton and given the fact that Button is hugely respected F1 racing driver and WDC, you must have an incredibly high opinion of someone who has only raced in F1 for a couple of seasons.
Nickpkr21 said on 6th February 2013, 2:01
Well if you remember hamilton run pretty tight to a former double champ, so I see Perez much better position, specially as mclaren done it before and Perez is fast you’ll see. This could be very well Button last season in Mclaren actually
Magnificent Geoffrey (@magnificent-geoffrey) said on 5th February 2013, 16:38
McLaren to dominate the season, confirmed.
Meander (@meander) said on 5th February 2013, 16:41
You mean, dominating every race until they retire? ;)
Magnificent Geoffrey (@magnificent-geoffrey) said on 5th February 2013, 16:44
Excellent point.
Bobby Balboa (@bobby-balboa) said on 5th February 2013, 16:58
I love the start of a new season. We all know you can’t read much from the first test day & times but it doesn’t stop people getting excited & throwing all their predictions at the fastest driver. In this case Button. So maybe people have already dubbed him WDC 2013 but there is more to come & we haven’t even seen what the BIG 3 can do in Hamilton, Alonso & Vettel.
Place your bets now but be careful as tomorrow you may have changed your mind
Luke (@lukes) said on 5th February 2013, 17:31
Yes but come on, we’re all so excited and have missed it so much, we’re like a bunch of addicts that have had to wait 3 months for a fix. Roll on tomorrow for the next fix. and the next set of rampant speculation. Love it. :)
BTW not a good idea to bet when you’re high!
Steven (@steevkay) said on 5th February 2013, 18:45
That’s exactly it, I would like to see what the top drivers can do in their respective cars. Shame that Rosberg couldn’t run the majority of the session, the Mercedes is the car I’m most curious about (mainly due to Hamilton driving for them now).
Hopefully we’ll see some fault-free running tomorrow for the top teams to get a better comparison of the cars.
Paulocreed (@paulocreed) said on 5th February 2013, 17:01
how did they end 2013? :P
HoHum (@hohum) said on 5th February 2013, 17:05
you need “vision”