Hamilton chases Schumacher in testing at Barcelona

On Sunday we had our last glimpse of the cars in action before they arrive in Bahrain for the first race of 2010. Check out our final gallery of pictures from testing below.

We’ve had a few requests from people wanting to see more high-resolution pictures. Sorry it hasn’t been possible to bring you any from this test but rest assured they will be back in future galleries.

Here’s Sunday pictures including some great pictures of Hamilton and Schumacher running in each other’s wheel-tracks, some revealing pictures of the enlarged exhaust on the Red Bull and the revised front wing on the Renault.

Images (C) Julien Leroy and F1 Fanatic

Also below is the data on the total amount of distance covered by each driver, team and engine in the tests.

Best times from the Barcelona test

Times from all four days combined.

Distance covered at all tests in 2010

Data from three days at Valencia, eight at Jerez and four at Barcelona (not counting private tests):

Read more: Jerez test 2 statistics

Lewis Hamilton will drive the McLaren for the last time before Bahrain

It’s deadline day for the F1 teams – today is their last chance to test their cars before they head out to Bahrain for the first race of 2010, just two weeks from now.

We’re expecting to see a few low-fuel runs which should give us an idea who’s got the best ultimate pace.

I’m at the track to follow testing as it happens – join us below to see how the crucial final day unfolds.

Times from today’s test

Testing notes

Several teams used the brief period of dry running yesterday to do some race distance simulations which gave us some useful insight into how quick they are.

The weather looks set to remain dry throughout today’s test so we should see some more representative runs throughout the day.

Today’s testing line-up

McLaren MP4-25 – Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes W01 – Michael Schumacher
Red Bull RB6 – Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber
Ferrari F10 – Felipe Massa
Williams FW32 – Rubens Barrichello
BMW Sauber C29 – Kamui Kobayashi
Renault R30 – Robert Kubica
Force India VJM03 – Adrian Sutil
Toro Rosso STR5 – Sebastien Buemi
Virgin VR-01 – Lucas di Grassi
Lotus T127 – Heikki Kovalainen

The track: Circuit de Catalunya

The final test of 2010 is being held at the Circuit de Catalunya, where the teams will return later this year for the Spanish Grand Prix.

Rubens Barrichello set the fastest time during last year’s Spanish Grand Prix race weekend with a 1’19.954 in Q2. The fastest lap of the race itself was also set by Barrichello, a 1’22.762,

For further comparison, Valentino Rossi lapped the track in a 2008-specification Ferrari on GP2 slick tyres in a time of 1’21.900 earlier this year.

Live Tweets and times

Check out MSFree.gr for live times from the track during the test.

Here’s the latest Tweets from people at the track (plus me):

If you would like to suggest a Twitter feed to add to the list, please name them in the comments. The list only updates when this page is refreshed.

2010 F1 testing

• Jerez test 2 statistics
• F1 testing pictures: 20th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 20th February
• F1 testing pictures: 19th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 19th February
• F1 testing pictures: 18th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 18th February
• F1 testing in pictures: 17th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 17th February
• Who’s fast and who’s not? A closer look at the lap times from Jerez testing
• Jerez test 1 statistics
• F1 testing pictures: 13th February
• F1 testing live: 13th February
• F1 testing pictures: 12th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 12th February
• F1 testing pictures: 11th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 11th February
• F1 testing pictures: 10th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 10th February
• F1 testing review: Valencia (Pictures)
• F1 testing pictures: February 3rd
• 2010 F1 testing: February 3rd
• F1 testing pictures: February 2nd
• 2010 F1 testing: February 2nd
• 2010 F1 testing: February 1st

Three of the top teams of 2010 went head-to-head in race simulations in Spain

Tomorrow is the final day of F1 testing before the first race of 2010 and the question everyone wants to know the answer to is this: Who’s got the fastest car?

Ferrari have been rumoured to be the favourites for some time but the race distance simulation run in largely dry conditions at the Circuit de Catalunya this afternoon shows rivals McLaren and Mercedes are right up there with them.

Massa, Button and Rosberg race distance simulations, 27th February

Three of the teams tipped to be among the F1 front runners this year all ran race distance simulations at around the same time at the Circuit de Catalunya today.

With no red flags until the very end of their runs the simulations were largely uninterrupted. Only a brief rain shower drove Nico Rosberg into the pits briefly but he returned to the track within a few minutes.

Rosberg, along with Jenson Button and Felipe Massa, each completed 65 or more continuous laps of the track. They will have to complete 66 laps at the Spanish Grand Prix at the circuit in May.

The graph above shows their lap times throughout their stints. Rosberg began his stint slightly early, but after his long pit stop due to the rain he returned to the track and more or less synched up with Massa and Button’s race simulations. You can see Massa and Button’s graphs peak earlier at around the same time (slowing down because of the rain) while Rosberg has a later, much higher peak.

Each driver pitted twice during their stint though Button made his first stop quite a bit later than Massa. Massa did a long and impressively consistent middle stint.

Late in the simulation Button’s times dropped off, which was at least partly due to traffic.

There is a considerable degree of overlap between the three lines which suggest the three teams are fairly close on performance. Massa’s long middle stint suggests to me that the rumours Ferrari has a slight advantage over the others are accurate.

Unfortunately we weren’t able to see exactly how far each car could run for. The simulations ended when Rosberg’s car stopped, causing a red flag. Given how quickly the team were able to get the car running again afterwards it seems likely the W01 simply ran out of fuel.

We wait to see what the likes of Red Bull can achieve over a similar distance. And of course there will be further changes to the cars between now and the first race of the year.

But I take this as an encouraging sign that three of the leading teams are near to each other on pace, and we could be in for an excitingly close-fought championship in 2010.

What’s your take on the race distance simulations? Have your say in the comments.

Felipe Massa during today's test

The penultimate day of testing at Barcelona saw the last appearances of some drivers including Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg before the first race of the season.

Here’s a collection of pictures from today’s test:

Image (C) Julien Leroy / F1 Fanatic

Virgin need to do as much running as they can today and tomorrow

I’m at the Circuit de Catalunya for the penultimate day of testing ahead of the 2010 F1 season.

I’ll post as much as I can from the track below and on Twitter so join us to follow the test live here.

Times from today’s test

Testing notes

If the first sets of times from Barcelona have shown us anything, it’s that the new teams have the most ground to make up on tracks like the Circuit de Catalunya which place a high emphasis on efficient aerodynamics.

I’m going to be at the track today. It’s my first ever visit to the venue so I don’t know exactly what to expect when I get there, so please bear with me if updates come through a little slowly to begin with.

I hope to get a close look at what stint times the drivers are doing so I can share the information with you and hopefully get a firm idea who is strongest heading into the first race. But it’s clear from what we’ve seen so far this is the hardest pre-season testing form to read in a long time.

Today’s testing line-up

McLaren MP4-25 – Jenson Button
Mercedes W01 – Nico Rosberg
Red Bull RB6 – Sebastian Vettel
Ferrari F10 – Felipe Massa
Williams FW32 – Rubens Barrichello
BMW Sauber C29 – Kamui Kobayashi
Renault R30 – Robert Kubica
Force India VJM03 – Adrian Sutil
Toro Rosso STR5 – Sebastien Buemi
Virgin VR-01 – Timo Glock
Lotus T127 – Jarno Trulli

The track: Circuit de Catalunya

The final test of 2010 is being held at the Circuit de Catalunya, where the teams will return later this year for the Spanish Grand Prix.

Rubens Barrichello set the fastest time during last year’s Spanish Grand Prix race weekend with a 1’19.954 in Q2. The fastest lap of the race itself was also set by Barrichello, a 1’22.762,

For further comparison, Valentino Rossi lapped the track in a 2008-specification Ferrari on GP2 slick tyres in a time of 1’21.900 earlier this year.

Live Tweets and times

Check out MSFree.gr for live times from the track during the test.

Here’s the latest Tweets from people at the track, including me:

If you would like to suggest a Twitter feed to add to the list, please name them in the comments. The list only updates when this page is refreshed.

2010 F1 testing

• Jerez test 2 statistics
• F1 testing pictures: 20th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 20th February
• F1 testing pictures: 19th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 19th February
• F1 testing pictures: 18th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 18th February
• F1 testing in pictures: 17th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 17th February
• Who’s fast and who’s not? A closer look at the lap times from Jerez testing
• Jerez test 1 statistics
• F1 testing pictures: 13th February
• F1 testing live: 13th February
• F1 testing pictures: 12th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 12th February
• F1 testing pictures: 11th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 11th February
• F1 testing pictures: 10th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 10th February
• F1 testing review: Valencia (Pictures)
• F1 testing pictures: February 3rd
• 2010 F1 testing: February 3rd
• F1 testing pictures: February 2nd
• 2010 F1 testing: February 2nd
• 2010 F1 testing: February 1st

Problems for Trulli during today's test

Another busy day at Barcelona as the teams logged hundreds of laps at the Circuit de Catalunya. See below for pictures from today’s test.

Images (C) Julien Leroy and F1 Fanatic

Lewis Hamilton in action today

It’s day two at Barcelona and Fernando Alonso is among the drivers finishing off their planned test programmes ahead of the first race of 2010.

Join us and follow testing as it happens below.

Times from today’s test

Testing notes

Mark Webber was fastest of all yesterday but expect the times to get faster over today, tomorrow and Sunday as more rubber goes down on the track.

McLaren ran a set of sensors on the rear of Jenson Button’s car early in the session but the team suffered a blow when the car came to a stop late in the session.

But they were far from the only team to suffer problems. Fernando Alonso lost a lot of running after an electrical problem (he also tried a shark fin wing on the Ferrari F10) and Virgin’s test efforts suffered another setback after Lucas di Grassi crashed.

Several drivers are expected to make their last appearances in testing today before the Bahrain Grand Prix, including Alonso, Nico Hülkenberg, Pedro de la Rosa, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Jaime Alguersuari.

Today’s testing line-up

McLaren MP4-25 – Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes W01 – Michael Schumacher
Red Bull RB6 – Sebastian Vettel
Ferrari F10 – Fernando Alonso
Williams FW32 – Nico Hülkenberg
BMW Sauber C29 – Pedro de la Rosa
Renault R30 – Robert Kubica
Force India VJM03 – Vitantonio Liuzzi
Toro Rosso STR5 – Jaime Alguersuari
Virgin VR-01 – Timo Glock
Lotus T127 – Jarno Trulli

The track: Circuit de Catalunya

The final test of 2010 is being held at the Circuit de Catalunya, where the teams will return later this year for the Spanish Grand Prix.

Rubens Barrichello set the fastest time during last year’s Spanish Grand Prix race weekend with a 1’19.954 in Q2. The fastest lap of the race itself was also set by Barrichello, a 1’22.762,

For further comparison, Valentino Rossi lapped the track in a 2008-specification Ferrari on GP2 slick tyres in a time of 1’21.900 earlier this year.

Live Tweets and times

Check out MSFree.gr for live times from the track during the test.

Here’s the latest Tweets from people at the track (plus me):

If you would like to suggest a Twitter feed to add to the list, please name them in the comments. The list only updates when this page is refreshed.

2010 F1 testing

• F1 testing pictures: 25th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 25th February
• Jerez test 2 statistics
• F1 testing pictures: 20th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 20th February
• F1 testing pictures: 19th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 19th February
• F1 testing pictures: 18th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 18th February
• F1 testing in pictures: 17th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 17th February
• Who’s fast and who’s not? A closer look at the lap times from Jerez testing
• Jerez test 1 statistics
• F1 testing pictures: 13th February
• F1 testing live: 13th February
• F1 testing pictures: 12th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 12th February
• F1 testing pictures: 11th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 11th February
• F1 testing pictures: 10th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 10th February
• F1 testing review: Valencia (Pictures)
• F1 testing pictures: February 3rd
• 2010 F1 testing: February 3rd
• F1 testing pictures: February 2nd
• 2010 F1 testing: February 2nd
• 2010 F1 testing: February 1st

Fairuz Fauzy driving the Lotus T127 at Barcelona today

F1 cars are in action at the Circuit de Catalunya today as the teams begin the final pre-season test of 2010.

Here are pictures from today’s test.

Images (C) Julien Leroy & F1 Fanatic

The teams are at the Circuit de Catalunya for the last test before Bahrain

The F1 teams’ final four-day test at Barcelona starts today.

Who’s got the fastest car in F1 as the 2010 season begins? Find out as we follow developments from the Circuit de Catalunya live below.

Times from today’s test

Testing notes

Pictures from today’s test

The same 11 teams that were at Jerez last week will be present at the final test.

This final pre-season test is typically where teams try out new parts for the first race of the season. Keep an eye out for some aggressive new aerodynamic developments.

With dry weather expected for all four days keep an eye out for teams doing longer runs which will help us get a rough idea of how competitive their cars are. While McLaren set the best individual lap times at Jerez it looks as though Ferrari have the strongest package heading into this test.

But that picture could change in the next four days – it was at this test last year that the instant pace of the Brawn cars caught everyone by surprise.

Today’s testing line-up

McLaren MP4-25 – Jenson Button
Mercedes W01 – Nico Rosberg
Red Bull RB6 – Mark Webber
Ferrari F10 – Fernando Alonso
Williams FW32 – Nico Hülkenberg
BMW Sauber C29 – Pedro de la Rosa
Renault R30 – Vitaly Petrov
Force India VJM03 – Vitantonio Liuzzi
Toro Rosso STR5 – Jaime Alguersuari
Virgin VR-01 – Lucas di Grassi
Lotus T127 – Fairuz Fauzy

The track: Circuit de Catalunya

The final test of 2010 is being held at the Circuit de Catalunya, where the teams will return later this year for the Spanish Grand Prix.

Rubens Barrichello set the fastest time during last year’s Spanish Grand Prix race weekend with a 1’19.954 in Q2. The fastest lap of the race itself was also set by Barrichello, a 1’22.762,

For further comparison, Valentino Rossi lapped the track in a 2008-specification Ferrari on GP2 slick tyres in a time of 1’21.900 earlier this year.

Live Tweets and times

Check out MSFree.gr for live times from the track during the test.

Here’s the latest Tweets from people at the track (plus me):

If you would like to suggest a Twitter feed to add to the list, please name them in the comments. The list only updates when this page is refreshed.

2010 F1 testing

• Jerez test 2 statistics
• F1 testing pictures: 20th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 20th February
• F1 testing pictures: 19th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 19th February
• F1 testing pictures: 18th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 18th February
• F1 testing in pictures: 17th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 17th February
• Who’s fast and who’s not? A closer look at the lap times from Jerez testing
• Jerez test 1 statistics
• F1 testing pictures: 13th February
• F1 testing live: 13th February
• F1 testing pictures: 12th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 12th February
• F1 testing pictures: 11th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 11th February
• F1 testing pictures: 10th February
• 2010 F1 testing live: 10th February
• F1 testing review: Valencia (Pictures)
• F1 testing pictures: February 3rd
• 2010 F1 testing: February 3rd
• F1 testing pictures: February 2nd
• 2010 F1 testing: February 2nd
• 2010 F1 testing: February 1st