Barcelona test, day 2 - Vettel tops icy day

F1 Test, Barcelona, Circuit de Catalunya

Testing day number two at Barcelona started off at freezing temperatures, with -0.1°C, and a track temperature of 6°C. Extremely rare conditions that saw teams take a hesitant start to the session.

Early in the day, it was also announced that the usual lunch break between 13:00 and 14:00 was cancelled today, allowing teams to use more track time. The weather was the main decision factor here, as the unusually cold temperatures at Spain forced teams to complete the day with aerodynamic tests, as anything else was useless given it proved extremely difficult to get any sort of Pirelli compound properly up to temperature.

Max Verstappen, today enjoying his first day in the Red Bull RB14, soon experienced what testing is all about, as he was forced to sit out a large part of the morning due to a fuel leak. He completed just three laps before returning to the pits where the team found the problem.

Early in the "afternoon" session, despite there being no break, Charles Leclerc stopped out on track, spinning off and ending up in the gravel. It wasn't much of an issue however, as he soon found himself back in action.

At 15:00, Robert Kubica joined the party as he took over from Sergey Sirotkin in the Williams. This marks the Pole's official debut as test- and reserve driver for the Williams F1 team.

Meanwhile, most drivers kept on struggling with the conditions. Vettel and Verstappen for instance were spotted spinning due to a unexpected lack of grip while cornering.

Sebastian Vettel though remained atop the timesheet during most of the day, ending fastest as well.