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Raikkonen tops first day of Abu Dhabi F1 test

Kimi Raikkonen set the fastest time on day one of the post-Abu Dhabi GP Pirelli Formula 1 tyre test, as Robert Kubica completed his first run in a 2017 Williams.

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari SF70H

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari SF70H

Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari SF70H
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari SF70H
Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing RB13
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz F1 W08
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz F1 W08
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz F1 W08
Nico Hulkenberg, Renault Sport F1 Team RS17

The Ferrari driver clocked a 1m37.768s on the new-for-2018 hypersoft tyre to finish 0.298s clear of Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, who hands over to Max Verstappen on Wednesday.

Raikkonen, who clocked 99 laps, is splitting driving duties with Sebastian Vettel at the test, with the German to take over for the final day on Wednesday.

All of the current race drivers will get at least some running on the 2018 tyres as they are keen to get mileage on Pirelli's new range, which will be softer next season.

World champion Lewis Hamilton ended the day third quickest, 0.782s off the pace and logging 136 laps.

Romain Grosjean was fourth for Haas ahead of Fernando Alonso, who crashed during the morning session, damaging the front wing and bringing out the red flag.

The Spaniard got back out again and ended the day with 111 laps on the board.

Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg was sixth, with a tally of 80 laps, ahead of Force India development driver Nikita Mazepin.

Kubica amassed 100 laps in an incident-free session, with a best lap of 1m41.296s to end up ninth quickest.

He finished 1.2s adrift of Lance Stroll, who took over running for the final couple of hours, but the two were believed to be running different programmes.

Kubica's fastest laptime was set on the soft, while every other driver present used the new hypersoft for their best effort.

The Pole will be back in the car for the final couple of hours on Wednesday, with the focus believed to be on performance runs.

Williams is using the test to evaluate whether or not to sign Kubica for next season, alongside Stroll. He is believed to be favourite to get the role.

Sean Gelael was 10th-fastest in the Toro Rosso, ahead of Sauber's Marcus Ericsson, with Oliver Turvey 12th for McLaren.

McLaren was permitted to run two cars to make up for the loss of running when the recent Pirelli test at Interlagos was cancelled because of security concerns.

Testing results

Pos. Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:37.768   99
2 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:38.066 0.298 109
3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:38.551 0.783 136
4 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:39.270 1.502 137
5 Lance Stroll Williams 1:39.580 1.812 29
6 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:39.762 1.994 115
7 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1:39.803 2.035 85
8 Nikita Mazepin Force India 1:39.959 2.191 90
9 Robert Kubica Williams 1:41.296 3.528 100
10 Sean Gelael Toro Rosso 1:41.428 3.660 117
11 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:41.681 3.913 97
12 Oliver Turvey McLaren 1:41.914 4.146 105

 

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