Honda F1 Barcelona test 1 day 2 review 20.02.2020: 2020 Barcelona F1 Test 1 – Day 2 There was a sense of deja vu on the second day of 2020 pre-season testing as the two Honda-powered teams again ended up closely-matched in fourth and fifth.

2020 Barcelona F1 Test 1 – Day 2
 
 
There was a sense of deja vu on the second day of 2020 pre-season testing as the two Honda-powered teams again ended up closely-matched in fourth and fifth.



 
Another warm and sunny day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya allowed for high mileage for both Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri, and Alex took full advantage as he got his first taste of the RB16. Max drove the new car during the shakedown and opening day, but Alex was quickly up to speed and completed 134 laps while setting the fourth fastest time. His best lap came on the C2 compound - the second hardest of the Pirelli range - and left him 0.8s adrift of the fastest time of the day.



Pierre’s morning started with a spin on cold tyres at Turn 9 but there was no damage done as he was able to continue and soon started amassing plenty of laps himself. Like on Wednesday, the AlphaTauri ended up just 0.2s off the Red Bull, with Pierre managing 147 laps, the second-highest total of any driver on the second day. Now both drivers for each team have had a full day each, the final day of the first test will see all four drivers in action as the two teams split their running.
 
 


 
Toyoharu Tanabe
Technical Director, Honda Racing F1   



“For the second day of testing, our work followed on from what we did yesterday, with functionality checks as well as beginning to work on optimising our PU settings based on yesterday’s feedback and data. Just before the lunch break, our engineers working in Sakura spotted something on the dyno and suggested that, as a precaution, we remove the PU from Alex’s car to carry out a physical examination.



We therefore replaced it for the afternoon. A thorough check revealed no issues and that first PU will be back in the car tomorrow. We lost some track time, but not much and Alex still managed to complete 134 laps today. Pierre did 147 laps, the second highest number on the day. Overall another solid day’s work with plenty more data to study.”
 
 



Alexander Albon
Aston Martin Red Bull Racing    Best time: 1:17.912
Laps: 134



“It was a good first day with the RB16. After Max’s running yesterday we carried on the work today and tried a few things that he tried. Comments wise we were very similar which is always positive. We lost some time in the middle of the day due to an investigation on the power unit but other than that it was pretty smooth. Over the winter we have addressed some of the areas where we felt we were struggling and I felt pretty comfortable in the car straight away. It’s always nice to get back in the car and you always feel it on your first day back but it was good out there and the car is feeling strong.”
 
 


Pierre Gasly
Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda    Best time: 1:18.121
Laps: 147


“I was happy with today, I missed being behind the wheel a lot! The target was to do as many laps as we could, because with pre-season testing two days shorter this year, we have to try to be more efficient and cover more things. Overall, we can be pleased as we managed to complete the programme we set for the day and I felt comfortable in the car straight away.


We tested a few more things compared to last year, also on my side in terms of driving, to understand how to get on top of everything, and there were some really positive results. There are many areas we are still exploring, we still need to figure certain areas out as it’s a new car with new parts. I think we found some good directions for the next few days, so now we have quite a lot to study.”
 
 

          
 Honda Motor Co., photos Red Bull