Lotus test driver Jolyon Palmer was the surprise name at the top of the times in Barcelona as the first in-season two-day test concluded.
In reality the times meant little as teams were trying different programs, varying from the extremes of running Monaco slow-speed setups, to low drag in preparation for the straights of Montreal. Palmer did his headline-grabbing time with supersoft tires.
Nevertheless it was good day for the Briton, who has had plenty of opportunities to adjust to the E23 via his Friday FP1 running.
“It was great to be in the car for a full day of productive testing,” he said. “Especially here in Barcelona, where I tested in the pre-season, and then drove in FP1. I think we’ve made real progress as a team with the setup of the car and I know I’m improving every time I get in the car. We ran through a lot of different programs and assessments and it was a great day at the office for me.”
Palmer was one of six rookies running on Wednesday as teams continued to fulfill their obligation to give two of the four days of 2015 testing to drivers with fewer than five starts. Mercedes reserve Pascal Wehrlein was second fastest in the W06, after having to give up his planned day in the Force India on Tuesday due to illness. He didn't feel great Wednesday either, but managed to finish the program.
After his F1 debut on Tuesday, Pierre Gasly moved from Toro Rosso to Red Bull, and was third fastest. The Frenchman's DAMS GP2 team mate Alex Lynn had his first and only track outing for Williams, although he only ran 52 laps.
“I didn’t really sleep that well last night as I was so excited about today,” he said. “It has been an amazing day and great to get behind the wheel of the FW37. We managed to get through a really important schedule and I completed a number of runs in the car. The team were happy with how we got on and with my performance, so all-in-all it has been a really positive day.
Mercedes protégé Esteban Ocon, who beat Max Verstappen to the Euro F3 title last year, enjoyed a day in the Force India. His previous F1 outing came with Lotus in Abu Dhabi last November.
“I was very happy to get the opportunity to drive today and I’m pleased with how things went,” said Ocon. “It’s always good to get more experience in a Formula One car and I’ve learned a huge amount about this car and this team. We worked on a lot of things – mainly on the aero side and we completed most of the things we had planned. The team has given me some good feedback and I improved during the day – step by step with each run.”
The other rookie in action was Rafaelle Marciello and, after a successful outing with Ferrari on Tuesday, the Italian crashed the Sauber early on, which compromised his day.
The only race drivers in action on Wednesday were Jenson Button, who was fourth after an encouraging day of development work for McLaren, and Carlos Sainz in the Toro Rosso. Meanwhile, former Sauber driver Esteban Gutierrez had his first test outing in the Ferrari SF15-T, finishing the day in seventh.
Full Wednesday results:
