Valteri Bottas sets fastest time so far in F1 preseason testing while Kimi Raikkonen crashes out

SHOWING just how quickly he has adjusted to his new seat with Mercedes, Valteri Bottas gave Lewis Hamilton a run for his money in Barcelona.

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland

NEW Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas says he can’t afford to get carried away by pre-season times after producing the fastest lap of Formula One testing so far in Barcelona.

Showing how quickly he has adjusted to his new seat at the all-conquering team, Bottas punched out his fastest lap time of one minute 19.310 seconds in the morning session before handing the car over to teammate Lewis Hamilton for the afternoon run at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Bottas finished at the top of the day two standings ahead of former Williams teammate Felipe Massa, who backed up from an impressive day one in the cockpit, and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

The Finn’s time was faster than the best lap set in last week’s first test days, which he also recorded.

Mercedes' Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas put champions Mercedes on top of the timesheets

But Bottas, who crossed to Mercedes from Williams to fill the seat vacated by retired 2016 champion Nico Rosberg, said the only standings that mattered were where he was placed at the season-opening Grand Prix in Melbourne in two weeks.

“Fastest laps don’t matter in testing,’’ Bottas said.

“What matters is where you are when you get to Melbourne. I’m just pleased we managed to complete the full program. I learned so much from today’s running. Now I’m just concentrating on tomorrow.

“I have to say that I felt much better in the car today with the changes we’ve made. We’re definitely making good progress as a team and I’m feeling more and more comfortable in the car every time I go out on track.’’

Valtteri Bottas has adapted well to his new drive

While Bottas put the Mercedes on top, the day didn’t end well for fellow Finn Raikkonen, who ran off into the gravel and hit the tyre barrier after spinning at turn three in the afternoon session.

The crash ended the day’s running for Raikkonen and Ferrari, with teammate Sebastian Vettel back behind the wheel for day three.

Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen also encountered problems when his car stopped on the track late in the session and had to be towed back to the garage after an earlier engine change during the lunch break.

“It was not bad today. We had some stoppages obviously but then in the afternoon we almost completed a full race distance, so that was good,’’ Verstappen said.

Max Verstappen also encountered problems when his car stopped on the track late in the session

“It was unfortunate that we had to stop at the end but I think we’re pretty confident we can solve those issues without any trouble.’’

After topping the standings on day one in a bumper 168-lap run, Williams veteran Massa completed another 68 laps in the morning on day two before handing over to rookie Canadian teammate Lance Stroll.

“I am pleased with the car, with the feelings that I felt from this new car, new rules and everything,’’ Massa said.

“Yesterday was a fantastic day, 168 laps and also a very good lap time at the end ... we are almost ready to start the season I would say.’’