• First Barcelona Test, Day One

Rosberg tops times on opening day at Barcelona

Nico Rosberg set the pace despite a gearbox issue in the morning © Sutton Images

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• Drivers:
• Nico Rosberg

• Teams:
• Mercedes

Nico Rosberg recovered from a gearbox issue to set the fastest time on the opening day of the second pre-season test in Barcelona.

At lunch time Rosberg had completed just 14 laps as a gearbox problem took longer than expected to rectify, but having rejoined the track about an hour after the lunch break Rosberg went on to complete a total of 54 laps and set the pace with a 1:22.616 on the medium tyres.

Kimi Raikkonen had a quiet day as he only managed 44 laps - less than third-quickest Fernando Alonso managed in the morning alone - but he was still second quickest and just 0.007s slower than Rosberg as he too set his best time on the medium Pirellis.

Alonso was the only driver to pass the 100 lap mark on his first day in the F138 after he missed the Jerez test. His productive day saw him finish with a best time of 1:22.952 to edge out morning pace-setter Sebastian Vettel by just 0.013s. Red Bull remained secretive about the RB9 with Vettel pulling in behind screens each time he returned to the pits between a series of five to seven lap runs throughout the day.

It was an encouraging day for Williams as Pastor Maldonado set the fifth fastest time and completed 86 laps on the new FW35's debut. Its mood may have been dampened by questions over the legality of the car's exhaust layout, but technical director Mike Coughlan is adamant the new design conforms with the regulations.

Daniel Ricciardo had another solid day of testing in the Toro Rosso with the sixth fastest time ahead of McLaren's Sergio Perez. The Mexican had a quiet morning but spent the afternoon focusing on long runs, with the MP4-28 likely to show more of its outright pace later in the week.

Paul di Resta set the eighth fastest time as he also focused on longer runs as well as gaining an understanding of the tyres. He completed 82 laps and will be in the car again on Wednesday before handing over to Adrian Sutil on Thursday who joins the team this week as a potential candidate for a race seat.

Sauber's Esteban Gutierrez was ninth fastest in the Sauber ahead of Max Chilton in the Marussia. Charles Pic's afternoon came to a premature end after his Caterham stopped between turns two and three with a technical issue shortly after lunch, though he still managed to complete five more laps than Raikkonen. That was the second red flag of the day after Gutierrez stopped following a fuel systems test in the morning.

Tuesday times
1. Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:22.616, 54 laps
2. Raikkonen, Lotus, 1:22.623, 44 laps
3. Alonso, Ferrari, 1:22.952, 110 laps
4. Vettel, Red Bull, 1:22.965, 66 laps
5. Maldonado, Williams, 1:23.733, 85 laps
6. Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:23.884, 72 laps
7. Perez, McLaren, 1:24.124, 75 laps
8. Di Resta, Force India, 1:24.144, 82 laps
9. Gutierrez, Sauber, 1:25.124, 66 laps
10. Chilton, Marussia, 1:26.747, 65 laps
11. Pic, Caterham, 1:27.534, 49 laps

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