Formula 1

YOUNG DRIVER TEST – ALONSO FASTEST IN ABU DHABI

Published

2 years ago

15/12/2020

Sebastien Paolinetti F1 Author

ALONSO FASTEST IN F1 ABU DHABI YOUNG DRIVER TEST

Fernando Alonso is an incredible driver despite everything, his adaptability is extraordinary.

Alonso would have slotted nicely between the two incumbent Renault drivers had he set that that time last Saturday.

Vandoorne, having his first F1 outing since the end of his second full F1 season with McLaren in 2018 thanks to the rules on what drivers could participate being opened up, ended the day third with a best time of 1m36.840s.

Fernando had also been on top during much of the morning session, but Mercedes’ Stoffel Vandoorne hit the front before the lunchbreak with a time of 1m37.206s before the lap times improved in the afternoon.

Alonso set the quickest time during Formula 1’s post-season test at the Yas Marina Circuit on Tuesday, which brought on-track action for 2020 to a close.

TEST TIMES

Driver	Team	Tyre	Time	Laps
Fernando Alonso	Renault	C5	1:36.333	105
Nyck de Vries	Mercedes	C5	1:36.595	110
Stoffel Vandoorne	Mercedes	C5	1:36.840	82
Robert Kubica	Alfa Romeo	C5	1:37.446	89
Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	C5	1:37.557	123
Juri Vips	Red Bull	C4	1:37.770	101
Antonio Fuoco	Ferrari	C5	1:37.817	126
Callum Ilott	Alfa Romeo	C5	1;37.826	93
Guanyu Zhou	Renault	C5	1:37.902	98
Jack Aitken	Williams	C4	1:38.153	78
Robert Shwartzman	Ferrari	C5	1:38.157	129
Sebastien Buemi	Red Bull	C4	1:38.284	77
Marino Sato	AlphaTauri	C4	1:38.495	127
Roy Nissany	Williams	C4	1:39.800	75
Mick Schumacher	Haas	C5	1:39.947	125

All bar McLaren and Racing Point stayed on for one day of running following Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with non-full-time 2020 racers eligible to participate.

Seven teams fielded two cars while Haas entered just one for Mick Schumacher.

Alonso set a quickest time of 1:36.333 in Renault’s R.S.20 to top the timesheets as he continued to prepare for his 2021 return, when the team will be known as Alpine.

Mercedes, as throughout the Abu Dhabi weekend, finished second and third overall, with Formula E racers Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne entrusted with test duties.

De Vries, in his first Formula 1 test, finished 0.262s behind two-time World Champion Alonso, with reserve driver Vandoorne half a second down on his former McLaren team-mate.

Alfa Romeo’s Robert Kubica was fourth, ahead of Red Bull junior Yuki Tsunoda, whose graduation to a 2021 AlphaTauri seat is expected to be ratified in the coming days.

The five quickest drivers all set their best time on Pirelli’s C5 tyre, which acted as the Soft compound at last weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Another Red Bull junior, Juri Vips, was sixth overall, as he got behind the wheel of the team’s RB16, with his best time coming on C4s.

Antonio Fuoco had an outing in Ferrari’s SF1000 and placed seventh, ahead of Academy driver Callum Ilott, who took eighth for Alfa Romeo, in front of Renault tester Guanyu Zhou.

Sakhir Grand Prix debutant Jack Aitken rounded out the top 10 for Williams, in front of Ferrari’s Robert Shwartzman, who completed the most mileage as he amassed 129 laps in the SF1000.

Long-time Red Bull reserve Sebastien Buemi suffered a spin into the Turn 19 barriers early on in the day as he took 12th overall, ahead of Marino Sato – who tested for AlphaTauri – and Williams tester Roy Nissany.

Formula 2 champion Schumacher finished at the rear of the 15-driver field as he continued to get up to speed with Haas ahead of his 2021 race debut.

The next official track action is scheduled to be pre-season testing, currently planned to take place at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, from March 2 to 4.

ALONSO FASTEST IN F1 ABU DHABI YOUNG DRIVER TEST ALONSO FASTEST IN F1 ABU DHABI YOUNG DRIVER TEST

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