F1: Nico Hulkenberg shines in Sahara Force India (+photos)

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German driver Nico Hulkenberg of the Sahara Force India team set the fastest of the day in the second day of Formula 1 winter testing in Barcelona.

Hulkenberg managed to lap the Circuit de Catalunya in a time of 1m22.608 in the Mercedes-powered VJM05 shod on super soft Pirelli tires.

Nico Hulkenberg, Sahara Force India (Photo: WRI2)

“Nico’s second day in the car saw a continuation of the programme we started yesterday with aero runs, balance and set-up work, and a full day of tire comparisons,” said Jakob Andreasen, Chief Engineer at Sahara Force India.

Sergio Perez was second in the Sauber-Ferrari, just four tenths of a second behind Hulkenberg. Perez set his best lap on super soft tires too.

Sergio Perez, Sauber (Photo: WRI2)

“In the morning, we started with aero comparisons, and then did some proper mechanical set up work. We also carried out a full comparison of all tire compounds – super soft, soft, medium and hard – and ran different fuel loads,” explained Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering.

Sebastian Vettel finished third in the Red Bull RB8 Renault.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull (Photo: WRI2)

“We ran a bit of a free practice simulation, but we discovered a small problem, which lost us some time. It was only a minor issue and didn’t require major work, but it meant that we had to run a compressed qualifying simulation before lunch. Afterwards we got through a whole race distance, which, at the car’s first go, is always very encouraging,” said Ian Morgan, Head of Race Engineering.