Vettel tops testing on day four

Ferrari driver clocks 1min 22.765sec to lead time sheets

BARCELONA: Sebastian Vettel topped the early times on the fourth day of the second testing session in Barcelona on Friday.

The Ferrari driver clocked 1min 22.765sec to lead the time sheets with Mercedes world champion Lewis Hamilton sitting fourth.

Hamilton is due to be replaced by teammate Nico Rosberg for the afternoon session.

Manor’s rookie driver Rio Haryanto was unable to put in any laps due to mechanical issues with his Mercedes-powered MRT05 car.



Hamilton, Alonso blast F1

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, two drivers with five world titles between them, portrayed Formula One as a broken sport burdened with over-complicated rules and uncertain future.

Hamilton, who can win a third successive title with Mercedes this season and the fourth of his career, was asked during pre-season testing whether he felt the sport was broken, lacking direction or healthy.

“I would probably say the first two,” he told a news conference. “I don’t want to say too much about it, but I do agree with the first two.”



With the opening race of the 2016 championship in Australia little more than two weeks away, the sport has yet to decide what format qualifying will be this season and when any new version might be introduced.

A change was announced last week but commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said the necessary software could not be ready in time for Melbourne.

Team managers then agreed a further change, with a knock-out system for the first two phases but reverting to the old format for the last one.  

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2016.

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