Vettel Revels in ´Unbelievable´ Start To F1 Testing At Williams Woes Continues

Vettel Revels in ´Unbelievable´ Start To F1 Testing At Williams Woes Continues

By: Francis Joseph

Sebastian Vettel posted the fastest time on an "unbelievable" first day of Formula One testing, while Williams do not plan to take part until Wednesday with their car not ready.

Ferrari driver Vettel topped the timesheet with a lap of one minute, 18.161 seconds in the first session on Monday, before going on to complete a total of 169 circuits– the most of any driver – in Barcelona.

McLaren's Carlos Sainz Jr was 0.397secs slower to surprisingly finish second-quickest, with four-time champion Vettel overjoyed by his start to 2019.

"We couldn't have hoped for a better day. I think it was unbelievable.

The car was working really well, we had no issues slowing us down, we did the programme just the way we wanted and we were able to squeeze a little bit more out even," he said.

"The car is working. I feel comfortable. I certainly got enough laps today, I'm going to sleep well. The guys are very happy.

"It's very early, it's the first day, and it's meaningless in a couple of weeks, but for now, huge compliments to everyone in the factory, how they have tackled the new regulations.

"What they put on track today is very close to perfection for the first day of driving – the amount of laps we did, how the team was handling the car."