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Wet tyre testing takes precedence on second Jerez day - Engines suffer teething troubles and Marussia fail to arrive in time

Published by Christine

McLaren make up for lost time
McLaren make up for lost timeCredit: McLaren Mercedes
Early doors for Vettel
Early doors for VettelCredit: Thompson/Getty
No drama for Rosberg and Mercedes
No drama for Rosberg and MercedesCredit: Mercedes AMG Petronas
Williams walking on water
Williams walking on waterCredit: Dunbar/Williams F1

The Formula One teams present in Jerez were always scheduled to complete a day of wet tyre testing for Pirelli, but instead of completing the running on Friday, a damp track meant the testing was moved forward to today. Tankers of water lapped the track at frequent intervals to keep the surface wet enough for accurate conditions in the morning, with dry running allowed to resume on slick tyres in the afternoon.

There were a lot more laps completed by the end of the day than had been yesterday, but for the Renault teams, things weren't looking great. Between them, Caterham and Red Bull managed just 19 laps, with Vettel bringing up the rear of the field - both in terms of mileage and lap time.

Red Bull actually brought their day's running to a halt early, to allow Renault more time to look into what is suspected to be an energy storage issue, as well as cooling problems. Sebastian Vettel headed home straight away, with Daniel Ricciardo meant to be taking over tomorrow... if they get any running! Vettel wasn't too concerned yet.

We've not had a lot of running and have a few problems to sort out but with such big rule changes it's usual to have teething problems. That's what tests are for, to sort those issues out.

- Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull

Of course that is a test's purpose, but with Renault lacking on mileage with the cars that are here, and Lotus not even present this week, things aren't looking good for the French engines.

Meanwhile, Marussia were meant to unveil their new car today, with the 2014 machinery hitting the track. They were delayed in their journey, however, but arrived in the afternoon. There was no time for getting on the tarmac, but the car should be prepped and ready to go tomorrow instead.

In the running that did occur, Jenson Button topped the timesheets for McLaren - their first attempt at pre-season testing so far this year. There were also a handful of red flags throughout the day, one brought out early by Esteban Gutiérrez who spun off into the gravel and had to have the Sauber recovered to the pits.

2014 testing - Day 2, Jerez
PosDriverTeamTimeLaps
1J ButtonMcLaren Mercedes1:24.16543
2K RäikkönenScuderia Ferrari1:24.81247
3V BottasWilliams F1 Team1:25.34435
4N RosbergMercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team1:25.58897
5S PérezSahara Force India F1 Team1:28.37637
6E GutiérrezSauber F1 Team1:33.27053
7M EricssonCaterham F1 Team1:37.97511
7S VettelInfiniti Red Bull Racing1:38.3208

Toro Rosso were the notable absentees today, as the team also struggled with mechanical trouble that kept them in the garage. They said: "We had some electrical problems today, that couldn't be repaired in time. So, we decided to focus on tomorrow." It's incredible to see so many teams with so many problems, and whilst testing is about working through the gremlins, it seems many are on the back foot as the start of the season creeps ever closer.

11 laps done & unfortunately @Ericsson_Marcus has had to stop out on track with a technical issue. He & his car are back and fine so we'll take a proper look and then send him back out as soon as we can.

CaterhamF1 CaterhamF1

That red flag brings to an end a run of 21 consecutive timed laps for @nico_rosberg. Now back in the garage and downloading his thoughts.

MercedesAMGF1 MercedesAMGF1

The water tanker's just parking up, so a green light soon! Funnily enough, it's now raining in #Jerez

McLarenF1 McLarenF1

Small issue resolved....don't you just love testing! Valtteri is heading back out on track now to continue his programme

WilliamsF1Team WilliamsF1Team

As ever, we're hoping for more tomorrow. With some wet tyre testing out the way, teams can concentrate on their own programmes - they've got a lot to catch up on! A few are shuffling their drivers around as well, due to the lack of running, so expect some new and returning faces as the third day gets underway

All content in the series 2014 F1 pre-season testing