--- title: "McLaren’s Nightmares Continue as Ricciardo Leads Day 2 of F1 Testing" description: "The Australian driver managed to squeeze in a whopping 165 laps at the famous Spanish F1 Track." date: "2018-03-08" modified: "2018-03-08" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19056/mclarens-nightmares-continue-as-ricciardo-leads-day-2-of-f1-testing" categories: - "News" tags: - "Daniel Ricciardo" - "Formula 1" - "Kimi Räikkönen" - "Lewis Hamilton" - "mclaren" - "Racing News" - "Red Bull F1" - "Sebastian Vettel" - "Spain" --- # McLaren’s Nightmares Continue as Ricciardo Leads Day 2 of F1 Testing ![]() *\www.thedrive.com\* Day six of Formula 1's eight-day pre-season test is officially in the books, and it's none other than Daniel Ricciardo and his RB14 who sit at the top of the timesheets after a picture-perfect Spanish day. Prime testing weather allowed most teams, excluding [McLaren]() and Haas, to log more than 100 laps of the famous Circuit de Catalunya. The "Honey Badger," as the Australian is nicknamed, put in a hefty 165 laps while testing several tire compounds and aero configurations. The fastest lap of the day arrived shortly after Ricciardo made the switch to Pirelli's new Hypersoft compound, which helped him build a gap of 0.353 seconds to the second and third fastest cars, the Mercedes-AMG of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. It's worth noting that the [Silver Arrows]() were equipped with the slightly less grippy Supersofts. ![message-editor%2F1520473444639-screenshot2018-03-07at8.41.01pm.png]() *The official standings for day two of pre-season testing., *Formula 1** Sebastian Vettel managed to place his [Ferrari]() in fourth place, a worrying 1.494 seconds behind the Red Bull. The scarlet racer clocked its best time with the help of Pirelli's Soft compound tires, which in terms of grip, is two levels below those of Ricciardo, which begs to wonder how much of that time gap is caused by the different compounds. Both Vettel and [Raikkonen]() managed to log 115 laps by the end of the evening session. Meanwhile, in the McLaren-Renault garage, the nightmares continue thanks to engine component failure and other electrical problems. Following a decent 47 uninterrupted laps, the Renault engine developed a small oil leak that forced [Alonso]() to pause his day for an emergency engine change. The Spaniard managed to get back on track minutes before the day concluded, allowing him to log a total of 57 laps for the day. ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()