Haas F1 Barcelona test 1 day 2 - Romain Grosjean at the wheel 20.02.2020: Date: Thursday, February 20 Location: Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, Spain Layout: 4.655-kilometer (2.892-mile), 16-turn circuit Driver: Romain Grosjean Laps: 158 laps Distance: 735.49 kilometers (456.936 miles) Best Lap Time: 1:18.496 (11th over

Date: Thursday, February 20
Location: Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, Spain
Layout: 4.655-kilometer (2.892-mile), 16-turn circuit
Driver: Romain Grosjean
Laps: 158 laps
Distance: 735.49 kilometers (456.936 miles)
Best Lap Time: 1:18.496 (11th overall)
Fastest Lap: 1:17.091 by Kimi Raikkonen of Alfa Romeo Racing
Most Laps: 158 laps by Romain Grosjean of Haas F1 Team
       


Romain Grosjean took over the Haas VF-20 during the second day of pre-season testing Thursday at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya after teammate Kevin Magnussen set an opening day best for a new Haas F1 Team chassis with 106 laps around the 4.655-kilometer (2.892-mile) on Wednesday.



Grosjean was prompt out the garage at 9 a.m. local time with conditions cooler than the previous day as air temperature hovered around five degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit). With a focus on accruing mileage and checking off additional test items, Grosjean ended a productive morning with 87 laps banked and a fastest time of 1:18.496 – which ultimately placed him 11th overall from the 13 drivers participating Thursday.



Air temperature climbed steadily, peaking at 18 degrees Celsius (64.4 degrees Fahrenheit) after the lunch break, while track temperature topped out at 26 degrees Celsius (78.8 degrees Fahrenheit). Grosjean completed a further 71 laps in the afternoon to take his tally to 158 – 23 laps shy of his previous testing benchmark with Haas F1 Team, but the highest marker set by a driver on the day. The Frenchman’s program ended short of the checkered – contact with the barrier at Turn 5, and the subsequent rear-wing damage, meant the VF-20 was retired to the garage with 40-minutes remaining in the session.



Grosjean will return for Friday morning’s session with Magnussen driving in the afternoon to conclude the first week of pre-season testing in Spain.
   


     

   
ROMAIN GROSJEAN

“I saw how many laps we were planning to do this morning and I thought it was a pretty fruity run-plan. That’s a positive though, it shows that the car is reliable. With two days less testing this year over these two weeks we’re trying to do as much as we can.

The early morning was tricky trying to get the tires warmed up, similarly at the end of the day when the sun goes down – tire temperatures drop. It was a positive day with a lot of testing. We’re now looking at our options for tomorrow to see what we want to test in the morning.”
   


     

GUENTHER STEINER,
   

“It was another good day today in terms of lots of running and data gathering. The car ran without issue, apart from a little accident at the end – it’s better not happening, but it’s part of the game and there were only 40-minutes left on the day.


It’s always good to have this kind of mileage and two days of testing without interruption or mechanical problems. It’s been positive, everything’s gone to plan, so that makes us happy.”
   


     


   
Stuart Morrison- photos Haas