Sebastian Vettel topped the second and final day of the in-season test at the Hungaroring on Wednesday, but all eyes were on the return to Formula 1 testing duties for Robert Kubica.
Vettel split the days running for Scuderia Ferrari with team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, but used his two hours on track early in the day to set the pace, with his 1:17.124s enough to pace the day, while his team-mate ended up 0.718 seconds back in third.
In-between the two Ferrari’s was rising star Lando Norris, who took his McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team MCL32 around the Hungaroring in a time of 1:17.385s, just 0.261 seconds off the pace of the current Formula 1 Championship leader. However, Vettel’s best was set on the Supersoft tyre with the Briton’s lap being set on the Ultrasoft.
The return of Kubica however has been the main talking point heading into the test, and the Pole completed 142 laps for the Renault Sport Formula 1 Team, aiding their development programme whilst at the same time assessing his capabilities behind the wheel of a contemporary day Formula 1 car.
Kubica’s best time was just 1.448 seconds off the pace of Vettel, and Renault will have been looking at the Pole’s performance with a view to contemplating him for a potential full time return to Formula 1 either this season or next.
Scuderia Toro Rosso and the Sahara Force India F1 Team both split their days between drivers, with the former seeing Carlos Sainz Jr and Daniil Kvyat ending fifth and sixth fastest, while Lucas Auer and Nikita Mazepin were seventh and ninth for the latter.
Eighth fastest on his second day in the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team W08 was Briton George Russell, who briefly ran with the Halo head protection system that will be introduced to Formula 1 in 2018.
Pierre Gasly took his turn in the Red Bull Racing RB13 and finished tenth fastest ahead of Williams Martini Racing’s Luca Ghiotto, with the Italian completing a staggering 161 laps of the Hungaroring on his very first test in a Formula 1 car.
Santino Ferrucci concluded the day in twelfth for the Haas F1 Team, while Nobuharu Matsushita also had his first taste of F1 machinery, completing 121 laps for the Sauber F1 Team, although he brought up the rear of the field, 4.874 seconds off Vettel’s pace.
Hungaroring In-Season Test Day 2 Result
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