{{short description|Pre-season testing of the 2020 Formula One season}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}} {{Infobox recurring event |name=2020 Formula One pre-season testing |image=[[File:Formula1 Circuit Catalunya.svg|250px]] |venue=[[Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya]] |dates=19–21, 26–28 February 2020 |genre=Full day test with morning (8–12pm) and afternoon (1–5pm) sessions |location=[[Montmeló]], [[Catalonia]], [[Spain]] }} '''2020 Formula One pre-season testing''' was a series of test sessions sanctioned by the governing body of [[Formula One]], the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile]] (FIA) to allow teams to prepare for the [[2020 Formula One World Championship]]. It took place at the [[Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya]] and consisted of two sets of three testing days (19–21 February and 26–28 February). All ten Formula One teams entered for the season took part in the test, and all five tyre compounds were available to teams during the test.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=A comprehensive guide to Formula One's preseason testing|url=https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/28723281/a-comprehensive-guide-formula-one-preseason-testing|date=17 February 2020|website=ESPN.com|language=en|access-date=28 May 2020}}</ref>
== Teams and drivers == [[File:2019_Formula_One_tests_Barcelona,_Bottas_(47200028912).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Mercedes-Benz in Formula One|Mercedes]] driver [[Valtteri Bottas]] set the fastest time at the test.]] Similarly to the previous year,<ref>{{Cite web|title=F1 pre-season test results: Fastest laps, full lap count|url=https://www.gpfans.com/en/articles/4275/f1-pre-season-test-results-fastest-laps-full-lap-count/|last=GPfans.com|website=GPfans|language=en|access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref> Mercedes covered the most mileage overall, despite some power unit reliability issues (which was shared by customer team [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]).<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Winners and Losers of 2020 F1 pre-season testing {{!}} Formula 1|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.the-winners-and-losers-of-2020-f1-pre-season-testing.6BLO3F48oSIMKbbXkKX4aM.html|website=www.formula1.com|language=en|access-date=28 May 2020}}</ref> Williams avoided its problems of 2019 (when it missed two and a half days of running) and participated in the entire test.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Williams: It's 'embarrassing" to miss the start of 2019 F1 testing|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/141654/embarrassing-to-miss-start-of-testing--williams|last=Noble|first=Jonathan|website=Autosport.com|language=en|access-date=28 May 2020}}</ref> Haas and Alfa Romeo launched their cars at the first test, while all other teams launched prior to the test between 11 and 17 February.<ref>{{Cite web|title=F1 2020 schedule – The 2020 F1 race calendar, pre-season testing details and F1 car launch schedule {{!}} Formula 1|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.diary-dates-the-2020-f1-calendar-pre-season-testing-details-and-f1-car.OVjDBOcx61q0HtYFZq7hH.html|website=www.formula1.com|language=en|access-date=28 May 2020}}</ref> The testing period was somewhat affected by the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. [[McLaren]], for example, banned individuals who had traveled from China in the last 14 days from their motorhome.<ref>{{Cite news|date=19 February 2020|title=McLaren limit F1 hospitality access amid coronavirus fears|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-motor-f1-idUSKBN20D2DH|access-date=28 May 2020}}</ref>
The teams alternated between their two drivers, typically on a daily or semi-daily basis. [[Robert Kubica]] was the only test driver to take part in the test, driving for [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] on both Wednesdays.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sport|first=Telegraph|last2=Slater|first2=Luke|date=19 February 2020|title=Lewis Hamilton ends day one of F1 pre-season testing fastest as Mercedes rack up the miles|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-1/2020/02/19/f1-pre-season-testing-test-one-day-one-live-updates-latest/|access-date=28 May 2020|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> [[Sebastian Vettel]] was scheduled to be the first to drive for [[Scuderia Ferrari]], but missed day one of testing with flu-like symptoms, and his place was taken by [[Charles Leclerc]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=McLaren take coronavirus precautions at Barcelona test|url=https://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/other/mclaren-take-coronavirus-precautions-at-barcelona-test-982745.html|date=19 February 2020|website=Breaking News|access-date=28 May 2020|archive-date=16 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616133654/https://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/other/mclaren-take-coronavirus-precautions-at-barcelona-test-982745.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== The test == The [[Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya]] has been used as the venue for pre-season testing for many years,<ref>{{Cite web|title=F1 Pre-season testing: Barcelona 21st - 24th February|url=https://www.racecar-engineering.com/articles/f1/f1-pre-season-testing-barcelona-21st-24th-february/|last=Sam|date=21 February 2012|website=Racecar Engineering|language=en-US|access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref> and is favoured by teams because its mix of low and high speed corners.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}} Temperatures at the circuit are cooler in February, so performance at the test differs from performance at [[2020 Spanish Grand Prix|the Grand Prix later in the year]].<ref name=":0" />
Teams perform both longer race simulation runs and short qualifying simulations, where the fastest times are set.<ref name=":0" /> Testing provides the teams with the opportunity to experiment with different versions of the same part, with many employing aero rakes<ref>{{Cite web|title=F1 aero rakes: Rob Smedley explains the technology behind aero rakes and what they do {{!}} Formula 1|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.smedley-what-are-aero-rakes.1F74d3YVUBzRRiZz9D3nZ4.html|website=www.formula1.com|language=en|access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref> and flow-viz<ref>{{Cite web|title=Flow Visualization Paint|url=http://www.formula1-dictionary.net/flow_viz_paint.html|website=www.formula1-dictionary.net|access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref> paint to understand the aerodynamic performance of the car.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Barcelona F1 test two day three - Formula 1 Testing 2020 - Autosport Live updates|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/live/2923639/--barcelona-f1-test-two-day-three-2020|last=Autosport.com|website=Autosport.com|language=en|access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref>
'''First test'''
Day 1<ref>{{Cite web|title=Barcelona F1 test day one - Formula 1 Testing 2020 - Autosport Live updates|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/live/2922229/-barcelona-f1-test-day-one-2020|last=Autosport.com|website=Autosport.com|language=en|access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref> of the test marked the first appearance of the [[Scuderia AlphaTauri|AlphaTauri]] team, rebranded from [[Scuderia Toro Rosso|Toro Rosso]]. [[Esteban Ocon]] returned to Formula One, now with [[Renault in Formula One|Renault]], after a one-year hiatus. [[Daniel Ricciardo]] wore a purple helmet in memory of the recently deceased [[Kobe Bryant]]. Hamilton set the fastest time of 1:16.976. On the second day, Mercedes' new dual-axis steering<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mercedes-AMG's "Dual-Axis Steering" Has Even More Advantages Than You Thought|url=https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/a31076350/mercedess-dual-axis-steering-advantages-explained/|last=Pruett|first=Marshall|date=24 February 2020|website=Road & Track|language=en-US|access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref> innovation was a major talking point, when in-car footage showed the drivers pulling the steering wheel backwards to activate the device. Sebastian Vettel recovered from his illness to take testing duties in the afternoon session.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Barcelona F1 test day two - Formula 1 Testing 2020 - Autosport Live updates|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/live/2922230/--barcelona-f1-test-day-two-2020|last=Autosport.com|website=Autosport.com|language=en|access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref> [[Kimi Räikkönen]] set the fastest time of 1:17.091 then caused the first and only red flag of the day when his [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] stopped on track coming up to turn 9. Day 3 saw four red flag stoppages to the session:<ref>{{Cite web|title=Barcelona F1 test day three - Formula 1 Testing 2020 - Autosport Live updates|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/live/2922231/---barcelona-f1-test-day-three-2020|last=Autosport.com|website=Autosport.com|language=en|access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref> Vettel had a power unit failure at turn 12, [[Nicholas Latifi]]'s Williams broke down at the end of the main straight, [[Kevin Magnussen]] spun and hit the barrier at turn 8, and Ricciardo's Renault also stopped on track. Bottas set the fastest time of either test on day 3, 1:15.732.
'''Second test'''
On day 1 of the second test, numerous drivers, including Hamilton, Vettel, Leclerc, [[George Russell (racing driver)|George Russell]], [[Sergio Pérez|Sergio Perez]] and [[Max Verstappen]] trialed the C2 prototype tyre designed to address the banked turns at the updated [[Circuit Zandvoort|Zandvoort]] circuit.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Barcelona F1 test two day one - Formula 1 Testing 2020 - Autosport Live updates|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/live/2923636/barcelona-f1-test-two-day-one-2020|last=Autosport.com|website=Autosport.com|language=en|access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref> [[Pierre Gasly]] missed most of the morning with a power unit issue, while [[Alexander Albon|Alex Albon]] lost time to suspension issue. Both Ferrari and Williams tested new front wings. There were three red flags, one when Vettel spun, another for Latifi's breakdown, and a third towards the end of the session when both Verstappen and [[Daniil Kvyat]] stopped on track. Robert Kubica set the fastest lap of the day: 1:16.942, demonstrating Alfa Romeo's improvement in pace. Day 2 had a wet start,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Barcelona F1 test two day two - Formula 1 Testing 2020 - Autosport Live updates|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/live/2923638/-barcelona-f1-test-two-day-two-2020|last=Autosport.com|website=Autosport.com|language=en|access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref> with many teams choosing to go out initially on intermediate tyres. Hamilton broke down with an oil pressure anomaly that ended his running for the day, having completed just 14 laps. The other three red flags were caused by drivers spinning and getting stuck in the gravel: [[Antonio Giovinazzi]] (turn 4), Verstappen (turn 5) and Vettel (turn 5). Vettel set the fastest time of the day of 1:16.841. The final day of testing was relatively incident free, with no red flags,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Barcelona F1 test two day three - Formula 1 Testing 2020 - Autosport Live updates|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/live/2923639/--barcelona-f1-test-two-day-three-2020|last=Autosport.com|website=Autosport.com|language=en|access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref> and many of the drivers focusing on longer runs, such as Hamilton, Leclerc, [[Carlos Sainz Jr.|Carlos Sainz]], and [[Romain Grosjean]]. Leclerc completed the most laps of any driver on a single day with 181.<ref>{{Cite web|title=F1 2020 Pre-Season Testing: Day 6 Statistics|url=http://www.lightsoutblog.com/2020/02/28/f1-2020-pre-season-testing-day-6-statistics/|last=Haldenby|first=Nicky|date=28 February 2020|website=Lights Out ●●●●●|language=en-US|access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref> Bottas set the fastest lap of the day with a 1:16.196, another lap faster than anyone else managed throughout the entire testing schedule.
== Fastest times and overall mileage ==
Most fastest times were set on the softest C5 tyres. [[Pirelli]] estimated in the previous year that the performance gap between each tyre compound was around 0.6-0.7 s, although this varied based on numerous factors.<ref name=":0" /> Bottas' fastest time was three tenths slower than his pole position time from the [[2019 Spanish Grand Prix]] at the same circuit. As of February 2020, his Q2 and Q3 laps from the [[2019 Spanish Grand Prix|2019 Grand Prix]] and his fastest lap in 2020 testing are the three fastest laps ever at the circuit in its current configuration, and the only three laps under 1:16.000 s. {{col-begin}} {{col-break}} {| class="wikitable sortable" |+Fastest times and distance by driver !Driver !Constructor !Time<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=F1 testing summary - Mercedes leads the way on pace and mileage|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/148486/testing-pace-and-mileage-make-mercedes-favourite|last=Smith|first=Luke|website=Autosport.com|language=en|access-date=28 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=2020 F1 Pre-season Testing: Best times and compounds|url=https://formulaspy.com/f1/2020-f1-pre-season-testing-best-times-and-compounds-68283|date=28 February 2020|website=FormulaSpy|language=en-GB|access-date=28 May 2020}}</ref> !Tyre compound !Laps<ref name=":1" /> !Distance |- |[[Valtteri Bottas]] |[[Mercedes-Benz in Formula One|Mercedes]] |1:15.732 |C5 |437 |{{convert|2034|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Max Verstappen]] |[[Red Bull Racing]]-[[Honda in Formula One|Honda]] |1:16.269 |C4 |414 |{{convert|1926|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Daniel Ricciardo]] |[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]] |1:16.276 |C5 |367 |{{convert|1708|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Charles Leclerc]] |[[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] |1:16.360 |C5 |442 |{{convert|2058|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Lewis Hamilton]] |[[Mercedes-Benz in Formula One|Mercedes]] |1:16.410 |C5 |466 |{{convert|2169|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Esteban Ocon]] |[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]] |1:16.433 |C5 |376 |{{convert|1749|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Sergio Pérez]] |[[Racing Point F1 Team|Racing Point]]-[[Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains|BWT Mercedes]] |1:16.634 |C5 |441 |{{convert|2054|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Carlos Sainz Jr.]] |[[McLaren]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]] |1:16.820 |C5 |446 |{{convert|2076|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Sebastian Vettel]] |[[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] |1:16.841 |C5 |402 |{{convert|1872|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[George Russell (racing driver)|George Russell]] |[[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]-[[Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains|Mercedes]] |1:16.871 |C5 |394 |{{convert|1835|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Daniil Kvyat]] |[[Scuderia AlphaTauri|AlphaTauri]]-[[Honda in Formula One|Honda]] |1:16.914 |C4 |399 |{{convert|1857|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Robert Kubica]] |[[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo Racing]]-[[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] |1:16.942 |C5 |112 |{{convert|521|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Romain Grosjean]] |[[Haas F1 Team|Haas]]-[[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] |1:17.037 |C4 |399 |{{convert|1857|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Pierre Gasly]] |[[Scuderia AlphaTauri|AlphaTauri]]-[[Honda in Formula One|Honda]] |1:17.066 |C5 |370 |{{convert|1722|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Kimi Räikkönen]] |[[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo Racing]]-[[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] |1:17.091 |C5 |300 |{{convert|1397|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Lance Stroll]] |[[Racing Point F1 Team|Racing Point]]-[[Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains|BWT Mercedes]] |1:17.118 |C3 |341 |{{convert|1587|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Nicholas Latifi]] |[[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]-[[Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains|Mercedes]] |1:17.313 |C5 |343 |{{convert|1596|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Kevin Magnussen]] |[[Haas F1 Team|Haas]]-[[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] |1:17.495 |C5 |250 |{{convert|1164|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Alexander Albon]] |[[Red Bull Racing]]-[[Honda in Formula One|Honda]] |1:17.550 |C4 |366 |{{convert|1704|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Lando Norris]] |[[McLaren]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]] |1:17.573 |C2 |356 |{{convert|1658|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Antonio Giovinazzi]] |[[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo Racing]]-[[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] |1:19.670 |C3 |323 |{{convert|1505|km|mi|abbr=on}} |} {{col-break}} {| class="wikitable" |+Distance by constructor !Constructor !Laps<ref name=":1" /> !Distance |- |[[Mercedes-Benz in Formula One|Mercedes]] |903 |{{convert|4204|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] |844 |{{convert|3928|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[McLaren]]-[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]] |802 |{{convert|3734|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Racing Point F1 Team|Racing Point]]-[[Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains|BWT Mercedes]] |782 |{{convert|3640|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} |- |[[Red Bull Racing]]-[[Honda in Formula One|Honda]] |780 |{{convert|3631|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Scuderia AlphaTauri|AlphaTauri]]-[[Honda in Formula One|Honda]] |769 |{{convert|3581|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Renault in Formula One|Renault]] |743 |{{convert|3458|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]-[[Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains|Mercedes]] |737 |{{convert|3431|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo Racing]]-[[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] |735 |{{convert|3421|km|mi|abbr=on}} |- |[[Haas F1 Team|Haas]]-[[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] |649 |{{convert|3021|km|mi|abbr=on}} |} {{col-end}}
== References == {{reflist}}
[[Category:2020 in Formula One|Pre-season testing]] [[Category:February 2020 sports events in Spain|Formula One pre-season testing]]