HAMILTON FASTEST MIDWAY THROUGH DAY 2 OF F1 TESTING

MONTMELO, Spain -- Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton recorded the fastest time and the most laps through Tuesday's morning session of preseason testing.

Hamilton's lap of 1 minute, 20.983 seconds was 0.782 seconds faster than the leading time he set during the opening day of Formula One testing at the Circuit Barcelona-Catalunya on Monday.

As expected from the new regulations intended to boost speeds, Hamilton's pace through two days is more than a second faster than the top time set on the same track through eight days of preseason testing in 2016.

The three-time world champion will hand over the wheel of the Mercedes to new teammate Valtteri Bottas for the afternoon session.

Just like Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel from Day 1, Kimi Raikkonen was the nearest challenger to Hamilton's top speed, albeit almost two seconds slower.

Hamilton and Raikkonen also got in the most laps with 66 and 47, respectively, as Mercedes or Ferrari have yet to report any mechanical problems so far.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen could only muster the fifth fastest time.

While world champion Mercedes and Ferrari continue to outperform rival Red Bull, a pair of the more modest teams struggled to get their cars rolling.

Antonio Giovinazzi, who has substituted for Pascal Wehrlein while he recovers from a back injury, spent most of the morning waiting for Sauber to replace his car's engine. Jolyon Palmer's Renault, meanwhile, only emerged from the garage in the final minutes of the four-hour morning session.

The opening test will run through Thursday.

The track near Barcelona will host a second round of testing from March 7-10 before the season starts at the Australian Grand Prix on March 26.

Tatiana Calderon joins Sauber as a development driver... so, will she become the first female to start a Formula One grand prix since 1976?

Colombian Tatiana Calderon has joined Sauber in the role of development driver, hoping eventually to break the male domination of the Formula One starting grid.

'I look forward to working with the team and learning as much as I can. It is a step closer to my dream – one day competing in Formula One,' she said in a team statement on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old will race in the GP3 support series this season while also embarking on a Sauber programme that includes simulator training and working with engineers.

Swiss-based Sauber are the only team with a female principal, Monisha Kaltenborn, although former champions Williams are effectively run by founder Frank Williams' daughter Claire.

Sauber previously had Swiss racer Simona de Silvestro as an 'affiliated driver', aiming at bringing her to Formula One, but that ultimately came to nothing. She raced in the all-electric Formula E series and is now competing in Australia.

Lewis Hamilton delighted with new Mercedes car after fast start to 2017

Lewis Hamilton has lavished his new car, the W08, with praise after setting the quickest time on Day One of pre-season testing.

"Pretty happy with the work everyone's done with the car - it looks fantastic," 

"It feels great and there's lot of things we need to improve on, which we will, but a great first day to get that many laps in and our car looks the best, so I'm happy."

Despite only driving the new Mercedes car in the afternoon, Hamilton topped the timesheets with a time of 1:21.765 - a considerable improvement on the best time set in the entirety of winter testing at Barcelona 12 months ago and an immediate statement of ominous intent from the world champions.

"Firstly, people always want to big you up at the beginning of the season, two, we are world champions, and three, our car looks a thousand times better than anyone else's so that [people saying we are favourites] is to be expected," added Hamilton.

Ominously for their rivals, Mercedes not only set the fastest lap of the day but they also recorded more laps than any other team.

Although the sport's rule makers have demanded cars which are tougher to drive, Hamilton and new team-mate Valtteri Bottas completed in excess of race-distance equivalents in the W08.

"It's a much more beefed up version from the car we've had in the previous years. It's a lot more downforce, a lot faster through the corners. And that means a lot more load for the driver which is quite a considerable amount which is a good challenge," said Hamilton.

"It's harder to get the car into the corner, it's more force on the body, harder to hold your head up. It's just a lot more physical."

Hamilton was, however, doubtful that the faster, more aggressive machines will guarantee more overtaking in Formula 1.

"I was behind a couple of cars out there and it was harder to follow," the 32-year-old admitted. "Right now the tyres are so hard, they don't drop off, they just keep going and going.

"So most likely we're going to be doing a lot more one-stoppers as there's less degradation, and there's going to be less overtaking. That's my estimation but I might be wrong. We'll find out."

Fernando Alonso says McLaren 'disappointed' with start to testing

Fernando Alonso has conceded McLaren's "disappointing" start to winter testing means they are already playing catch-up in 2017.

For the second time in three years since their reunion with Honda, McLaren endured a problem-filled start to testing with their new car.

Alonso completed only 29 laps at Barcelona, the fewest of any driver, after an oil system problem which struck on the opening installation lap kept the MCL32 in the garage until mid-afternoon.

Although Alonso returned to the track intermittently in the day's closing two hours, the Spaniard said the team were running "very conservative" settings in order to check the car and be able to complete some running.

"It's definitely not the perfect start of winter testing," he told reporters after finishing 10th fastest out of 11 drivers.

"In terms of the performance point of view we have to concentrate and try to recover the time. We are disappointed, we are sad to arrive to the first day and not be able to run.

"We are aware of the time we lost today, we have four days for each driver before the World Championship starts and now one day is gone. So I have three days to prepare a World Championship, so it's not an ideal situation but it's the way it is. There is nothing more we can do from today more than learn from whatever happened to the car and try to recover the time in the next days."

The Spaniard and new team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne are scheduled to drive four days apiece in the car over the eight days of testing. Alonso said he would not ask the team to give him extra time in the MCL32, but suggested they would have to see how the rest of the week developed.

And although he said he had too much experience to overreact the results of one day of testing, he admitted the team had lost crucial time.

"It's the first day of testing, so you are not too worried or too excited," added Alonso. "Even if you are in a very good position or very good position, there is a very long way to go.

"But as I said, (I am) disappointed. You have been working for three months on your physical fitness, on your simulator, on your sponsor commitments, launching the car - I think everyone did an amazing job on this car for many, many months. Now you hit the track and go on the installation lap and something breaks down and you lose the day.

"The time is very important this year with the new regulations, the new tyres."

Alonso added he was not yet in a position to judge either the MCL32 or the redesigned Honda engine, although did express optimism that F1's new breed of faster cars had brought the thrill factor back to driving he has long claimed has been missing.

"The only conclusion is the cars look nice," he said. "They are definitely faster in the corners so it's good to come back to that feeling of the downforce and be able to push the car to the limit a little bit more, so I'm happy with that.

"I saw some other cars running alongside on the track and they look very, very good.

"So I'm happy for that, happy for the sport to go in the right direction, and (F1 should) probably apologise to the fans for the last five or six years when they saw horrible cars."

Fernando Alonso runs special helmet for F1 testing

Fernando Alonso is running a special camouflage helmet livery on the opening day of pre-season testing at Barcelona for the upcoming 2017 Formula One season.

In a move away from his usual helmet design -- which mainly includes the colours of the Spanish flag -- Alonso is sporting a one-off black and white camouflage helmet, as he completes first duties behind the wheel of the new 'Tarocco' orange and black McLaren MCL32, before Stoffel Vandoorne takes over on Tuesday.

Both drivers have already had a brief taste of driving McLaren's 2017 challenger on-track at the Circuit de Catalunya during a filming day on Sunday, ahead the first pre-season test at Barcelona this week.

LEWIS HAMILTON ENDS DAY ONE ON TOP

Lewis Hamilton ended the first day of pre-season testing on top with a lap time of 1 minute 21.765. The Briton took over the car from team mate Valtteri Bottas after lunch, racking up 73 laps compared to Bottas' 79.

Sebastian Vettel should be relatively happy with his day, as he finished a tenth behind the Mercedes. However, more importantly he clocked up 129 laps, the most of any driver today.

Felipe Massa was third with a fastest lap of 1 minute 22.076, and was the only other driver to surpass the 100 lap mark, finishing the day with 103 laps. Kevin Magnussen in the Haas was fourth, finishing on 51 laps. The Dane spun his car at turn 10, damaging the front wing but nothing major to halt progress.

Daniel Ricciardo had an initial scare at the start of the session when he was forced to park the car at turn 4 due to a sensor issue. A battery problem also emerged at around 3.PM, but the Australian still ended his day fifth with 50 laps.

Bottas was sixth, with his best lap time 1.404 seconds slower than his new team mate. Sergio Perez suffered from an exhaust issue in the afternoon, racking up 39 laps with his best lap time slotting him into seventh.

Toro Rosso's visually impressive new car was eighth with 52 laps to its name. Hulkenberg's Renault was ninth, setting five more laps that the above Toro Rosso.

McLaren started their pre-season in torrid circumstances when an oil issue was discovered in the car. Fernando Alonso was sidelined for many hours before coming back out, but only managed 23 laps which saw him finish in tenth.

Marcus Ericsson's Sauber managed 73 laps, ending the driver list from the first day of pre-season testing. Be sure to join us again tomorrow for day two.

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F1today

EU commissioner rejects calls for probe into F1 sale

The European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager has rejected calls by MEPs to launch an investigation into the sale of Formula One to Liberty Media Group.

Earlier this month the European Parliament overwhelmingly voted by 467 votes to 156 look into alleged "anti-competitive practices" in Formula One.

UK MEP Anneliese Dodds had led the push for a full enquiry into the way that Liberty acquired the sport. Among the issues raised by Dodds was the $80 million that the FIA received as a result of the sale which was suggested could have been a conflict of interest for the sport's government body.

"My concerns in relation to Formula One’s regulator, the FIA, are purely focused on the conflicts of interest that can arise when the regulator of a particular industry also has a financial stake in that same industry," Dobbs had explained.

The allegation was vehemently denied by the FIA who called such suggestions "inaccurately informed or malicious."

Vestager is reported to have concluded that the transaction "did not satisfy the turnover thresholds that must be met to fall within the Commission's jurisdiction".

However, the matter might not be entirely over as Vestager has indicated that it's a matter for individual nation states rather that something to be looked into an European Union level.

"The transaction was notified instead to National Competition Authorities in several Member States, namely Austria, Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom, all which approved it last year," Vestager explained.

Mercedes's new shark fin makes its début

The new 2017 Mercedes W08 Hybrid is back in action at pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this afternoon, only this time it's sporting a new addition in the form of a proper 'shark fin'.

The shark fin is a new feature of this year's Formula One cars as a result of the new tyre and downforce regulations that have been brought in over the off-season.

However Mercedes left the full fin off the car when it was photographed for its official launch, and it was also absent when Valtteri Bottas took the new car for its first test laps on Monday morning.

With Lewis Hamilton taking over the wheel for the afternoon session, the team has now installed the complete shark fin to compare it with the earlier running times to see what impact it makes.

Ferrari and Vettel top the time sheets mid-day!

Ferrari's new SF70H and Sebastian Vettel outpaced Mercedes and Valtteri Bottas as teams broke for lunch time on day 1 of pre-season testing in Barcelona.

The two men traded places at the top of the time sheets all morning with Bottas raking in 79 laps, while Vettel clocked in at 62 laps.

It's worth noting however that the Mercedes driver accomplished two long runs on soft tyres at one point, while Vettel stuck to the medium compound, edging out the Finn with a 1:22.791, the only sub-22 lap of the day so far.

Sergio Perez has been a consistent runner so far, but running a shorter distance compared to the men up front, with 39 laps put on the new Force India, the fastest of which was done on a set of soft tyres.

Red Bull's new RB13 was sidelined after just four laps with a sensor problem, while McLaren was hit by a more serious oil system issue which  prevented Fernando Alonso from acheiving anything more than an installation lap. The MCL32 was expected however to be back out on track this afternoon.

Haas' Kevin Magnussen was the first driver to hit the barriers in 2017 following a mishap which damaged the VF-17's front wing.

Track action will resume at 14:00 local time

F1 Pre-season Test Barcelona: F1 testing results [Monday 12pm]

Full testing times from the opening day of the 2017 F1 pre-season test from the Circuit de Catalunya, Spain – Day 1 - 12pm. 

1. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 23.169s (52 laps) 
2. Sebastian Vettel GER Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 23.560s (36) 
3. Sergio Perez MEX Force India-Mercedes 1m 25.573s (19) 

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4. Felipe Massa BRZ Williams-Mercedes 1m 25.956s (17) 
5. Nico Hulkenberg GER Renault-Renault 1m 26.319s (22) 
6. Carlos Sainz SPA Toro Rosso-Renault 1m 26.726 (14) 
7. Marcus Ericsson SWE Sauber-Ferrari 1m 27.710s (20) 
8. Daniel Ricciardo AUS Red Bull-TAG 1m 28.712s (4) 
9. Kevin Magnussen DEN Haas-Ferrari No time set (7) 
10. Fernando Alonso ESP McLaren-Honda No time set (1) 

all times unofficial 

McLaren delayed by Honda oil system issue

McLaren's opening day of pre-season Formula 1 testing got off to a troubled start on Monday when its new car was stopped with a Honda oil system issue after just a single installation lap.

The Woking-based team had successfully completed a 100 kilometre filming day at Barcelona on Sunday, ahead of the proper start to testing today.

But although Fernando Alonso got out of the garage early on to prepare for the day's programme, after completing just a single lap back into the pits he was unable to return to action as Honda discovered a problem on the car.

A Honda spokeswoman said: "We have an oil systems issue which requires a full investigation.

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"We plan to run again today, but due to the difficult access location it will take several hours to resolve."

Honda has introduced an all-new engine for 2017, adopting the split turbine and compressor concept that Mercedes has put to great use under the new turbo hybrid rules.

Red Bull red flag

McLaren was not the only team to hit trouble on the opening morning of testing with Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo bringing out the first red flag of the test.

The Australian stopped with a sensor issue after completing four laps, with his team's Renault team also introducing a new engine concept this year.

F1 testing 2017: Red Bull's innovative 'pingu' nose on RB13 explained

Formula 1 is back in 2017, with all 10 teams unleashing their new challengers on track at the first day of Winter Testing in Barcelona.

There are T-wings, 'shark fins', and many other modifications on show as the sport moves into a new era of technical regulations - but one of the more eye-catching innovations was Red Bull's 'pingu' nose on the RB13.

Seen as F1's aerodynamic experts, led by technical chief Adrian Newey, Red Bull are the only team to have a hole in their car's nose, which has been added to help air run through the car quickly.

"It's effectively just to improve the airflow under the car," he said.

"The way Red Bull set up their car is to run a high level of rake, that means when you look at the car side on, the bottom lifts up and the top sits down. That depends on running a large amount of air underneath the car quite quickly and then worked to the back of the car.

"It's playing to Red Bull's strengths, accelerating a low pressure area under the car, through the nose. It's not a golden bullet, but everything helps in the fight against Mercedes."

Red Bull are looking to topple Mercedes in 2017 after the Silver Arrows dominated the last three seasons. A 'rules refresh' may help them do just that, especially if this aerodynamic addition works its magic.

"Red Bull know their deficit to Mercedes is in the power department," added Ted. "So they need to make their car as low-drag as possible.

"They can slip through the air easier than Mercedes. We'll see if they've managed to achieve that."

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SKY SPORTS F1

Haas reveals its second Formula 1 car

The Haas team revealed its second Formula 1 design to the world on Sunday afternoon when it issued pictures of the Ferrari-powered VF-17.

Images of the car had already leaked out on social media after the team conducted a filming day at Barcelona on Saturday.

The new Haas featured an adjusted livery with a greater degree of grey, as well as the 'shark fin' on the engine cover that most 2017 F1 designs so far have featured.

"I think the pedal box is the same, but all the rest is very different from last year's car," said team boss Gunther Steiner. "You always try to make a faster car, which is normally a lighter car.

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"Now we can put on more ballast and get better weight distribution. The aero is completely new, as are the tires, so we needed to have some built-in adjustability.

"Aesthetically, the car has a more aggressive look. It's lighter and more aerodynamically efficient. Everything we learned from our first car has been applied to our new car."

Haas made a spectacular start to life in F1 when Romain Grosjean took top-six finishes in the team's first two grands prix.

It could not maintain that momentum, but its later slump was partly because Haas decided to switch resources towards preparing for the 2017 rules particularly early and carried out little in-season development with the '16 car.

Grosjean stays on for 2017, with Kevin Magnussen moving from Renault to replace Esteban Gutierrez alongside him.

Verstappen “is ready” for F1 2017 title attack – Marko

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko believes Max Verstappen can become Formula 1 world champion in 2017, contrary to the opinion of Max’s father Jos.

Earlier this week, Jos Verstappen said of his 19-year-old son: “Of course there is talk of a world title. But my personal opinion is that it is still a year too early.”

But Marko, speaking in an interview on Dutch TV, thinks that 2017 can be Max’s year.

“Max is ready,” said Marko. “We think he’s more experienced, he will be now in his third season [in F1].”

Talking on the subject of Verstappen’s risk-taking driving style, Marko added: “His risk will [be] an advantage, because other people know: ‘When Max is coming, be careful, he will overtake you, so don’t do anything stupid’.

“And the risk will be less of a risk. You know, he had some hairy moments.

“But he had only one crash, that was in Monte Carlo. No… in Monte Carlo he had three, so he did everything in one race [weekend]! But at the rest he was in control.”

Ricciardo also in the mix

Marko believes both Verstappen and teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who finished third in the 2016 drivers’ championship, can challenge Mercedes for the top spot this season.

“So another year of experience and a good car, I think both of our drivers can fight for the title,” he added.

“Don’t forget Ricciardo, he’s also a very competitive, very strong driver – and as a pairing, or as a pair of really competitive drivers – we believe we can fight for the championship.”

Red Bull launches its eagerly-anticipated F1 2017 contender in Barcelona on Sunday.

Valtteri Bottas has a 'good chance' of beating Lewis Hamilton says four - time champion

Four-time Formula One world champion Alain Prost believes Mercedes new boy Valtteri Bottas has a 'good chance' of beating Lewis Hamilton in 2017.

The Finn was signed as a replacement for the now-retired Nico Rosberg, who hung up his helmet after winning the title in 2016. Bottas is confident he can challenge the Briton for the title, stating that he did not join the team to come second.

The 27-year-old has been warned about partnering Hamilton by his predecessor and the three-time world champion's father. Moreover, he has been handed just a one-year contract and will have to get up to speed immediately and contribute to the team's success, barring which he could be replaced in 2018.

Toto Wolff indicated that they could move for Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso, who will be free agents if they do not extend contracts with their respective teams Ferrari and McLaren.

Prost, however, has backed Bottas to challenge Hamilton and believes Mercedes' policy of allowing the drivers to race on an equal footing will help the former Williams driver.

"I think Valtteri has a good chance against Lewis," Prost told the Finnish newspaper Ilta Sanomat, as quoted on grandprix.com.

"Mercedes' philosophy is such that there is no first or second driver, and from Valtteri's point of view that's good.

"For sure it's hard to beat Lewis because he's been at Mercedes for many years, but Valtteri at least has a chance, sure," the quadruple world champion added.

Bottas joined Williams in 2013 after spending two seasons as a test driver with the Grove-based team. He claimed nine podiums during his time with the privateer team, but is yet to record a race win. The Finn has made it clear that he intends to change that statistic following his arrival at the reigning world champions.

WILLIAMS AND JCB LINK UP FOR 2017 PARTNERSHIP

Williams Martini Racing has announced a new partnership for the 2017 Formula 1 Season with construction equipment manufacturer JCB.

JCB branding will appear on Williams’ FW40 chassis and rear wing end plate from the beginning of the new season, with their stickers also adorning the race suits and helmets of drivers Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll, while from the British Grand Prix onwards, all trackside personnel team kit will also be affiliated with the JCB name.

“We are delighted to welcome JCB to our family of partners,” said Claire Williams, the Deputy Team Principal of the Grove-based team. “Engineering and innovation are also at the core of everything we do at Williams, which makes this partnership one of shared values and aspirations.

“As two great British brands, we share a similar drive to continually push boundaries and not rest on our laurels in our desire to be the best. I know this will be a successful partnership for both our brands and I look forward to embarking on this journey with such a prestigious brand as JCB.”

JCB Chairman Lord Bamford is excited to be able to link up with Williams and continue their long-time association with motorsport, which stems back right to 1970s thanks to its sponsorship of the JCB Trophy Championship for Historic Cars.

“I am an engineer and a manufacturer and designing and engineering innovative products is at the core of what JCB does,” said Lord Bamford. “We frequently combine our engineering expertise with some of the best automotive technologies which means our machines are very fuel efficient and intuitive to operate.

“Our partnership with Williams Martini Racing builds on that innovative and technological link and our company’s long association with motorsport.”

MCLAREN-HONDA REVEALS NEW ERA AS OFFICIAL HEADWEAR PARTNER

The McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team has announced a global partnership with New Era that will see the company become the official headwear partner with the Woking-based team.

Both Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne will wear New Era-branded caps in 2017, as well as mechanics, engineers and other team personnel, with authentic headwear also set to be made available online and in New Era stores worldwide.

“New Era has the well-earned reputation of creating the most functional and comfortable headwear in the clothing industry,” said McLaren Executive Director Zak Brown. “It’s a phenomenally cool brand, whose huge global presence speaks volumes for its style and popularity; and it’s a fantastic asset to the McLaren-Honda partner portfolio.

“Fernando and Stoffel are both keen advocates of wearing the team cap – and they’ve been given an added element of style through this announcement.”

Paul Gils, VP EMEA at New Era, is excited about the partnership with McLaren, which will be their first venture into the world of motorsport.

“We’re very excited about our new global partnership with McLaren Honda,” said Gils. “It’s our first venture into motorsport and offers a great opportunity for us to produce quality headwear for the passionate fans of such a globally recognised motor racing team.”

BORING WOULD BE PERFECT! - MAX

The Netherlands – a country renowned for its tolerance, pragmatism and errr... its passion for the walk on the wild side that is the caravanning holiday.

It's not too much of a surprise when Max Verstappen gives a monumentally straightforward answer to a speculative question: "How will the first race be? Hopefully we have a good start and then lead the whole race," grins the Dutchman. "Hopefully we have a really boring race. That would be perfect!"

Before we get to the prospect of a new-look F1 delivering Max a processional victory (fingers crossed!), there's the small matter of RB13's launch and a couple of weeks of testing to get through. Is Max prepared? Almost. "The first couple of test weeks you will feel a bit sore. You can train as much as you want, you can get a lot stronger but always the first time you jump in the car you get a stiff neck. You just have to deal with it and hopefully for the rest of the season it will be good enough." More good common sense from the Dutchman there, and to hear more where that came from, take a look at the video above with F1's fastest rising (and most pragmatic) star.

Vettel, Raikkonen give first impressions of SF70H

Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen have given their first impressions of Ferrari's 2017 Formula 1 contender after putting the 100km on the SF70H during a filming day at Fiorano. 

Following a presentation of the SF70H in a low-key ceremony, Vettel and Raikkonen gave it a shakedown around Ferrari's private test track and were positive despite inclement conditions holding them back. 

"You can see it is a step forward and you can feel it is a step forward," said Vettel, who has been one of the more vocal supporters of the new-for-2017 regulations designed to make the cars more challenging to drive. 


“The car looks quite big and strong from the outside but also the first impressions are the right one. We didn't have any problems. It was a good and a good start." 

"It was just a first touch and the main work starts in Barcelona but so far so good,” Raikkonen added. 

Ferrari is bidding for its first Formula 1 drivers' title since Raikkonen's win in 2007. 

Williams release first pictures of the FW40!

 Williams' online reveal last week was based on computer-rendered images but the team has now released a series of pictures of its 2017 FW40 in the flesh.

Overall, it looks like Williams have favored a no-nonsense approach, with a general  form and aerodynamics which appear relatively simple compared to the offerings from Ferrari and McLaren for example.

Following the trend, the Grove-based outfit has included the now ubiquitous dorsal fin which extends behind the air box.

Check out the pictures.

McLaren rookie Stoffel Vandoorne refuses to set targets ahead of debut F1 season as new regulations threaten to shake up the 2017 grid

McLaren rookie Stoffel Vandoorne is keeping an open mind about his first full Formula One season because, with new regulations that could shake up the grid, he has no idea what he might be able to achieve.

The 24-year-old Belgian, whose Spanish team-mate Fernando Alonso is 11 years his senior, has time on his side but is still hoping success comes sooner rather than later for a team starved of victory since 2012.

'I don't have a specific target,' he told reporters at the launch of the new orange and black-liveried MCL32 car at McLaren's Woking headquarters on Friday.

It took two more races before either of the regular McLaren drivers, Alonso and 2009 world champion Jenson Button, joined him on the scoresheet.

Button has now left, ostensibly for a year's sabbatical but with nobody really expecting the veteran Briton to return, and Vandoorne has stepped into his shoes after a year as reserve.

McLaren finished sixth overall last year but Honda say their engine has closed the gap and should start the season with performance comparable to Mercedes at the end of 2016.