Antonio Giovinazzi, deputising for the convalescing Pascal Wehrlein, has managed just two installation laps this morning. This is the first explanation we've had for his absence from the track. 

Dan Knutson
F1 journalist in Barcelona

It was cool and cloudy when the session started, but just over three hours later the sun has come out. 

The air temperature has climbed from 11.8C to 14.6C, and the track temperature from 12.8C to 20.6C.

As usual during winter testing at Barcelona, the drivers say the track is too cold to get the tyres working properly.

At about this same time of day during Free Practice 3 for the Spanish Grand Prix last May, the air temperature was 18C and the track temperature was 28C.

Kevin Magnussen's fourth place for Haas was one of the stand-out performances on day one, and after a slow start to day two the Dane appears to be back in the groove again. 

Five early installation laps were followed by lengthy set-up changes in the garage, but they're out there now and have just slotted into fifth place with a 1:25.432 on the medium tyre. 

He improves to 1:25.138 but remains fifth. 

1 Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:21.766 (32 laps) Soft

2 Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1:23.359 (18) Medium

3 Verstappen (Red Bull) 1:24.366 (19) Soft

4 Ocon (Force India) 1:24.488 (6) Soft

5 Stroll (Williams) 1:26.040 (12) Medium

6 Kvyat (Toro Rosso) 1:26.161(24) Medium

7 Vandoorne (McLaren) 1:26.204 (22) Soft

No timed laps for Magnussen, Giovinazzi or Palmer. 

Dan Knutson
F1 journalist in Barcelona

The hole in the nose of the Red Bull RB13 has been getting plenty of attention and speculation. Obviously it is there for cooling and aerodynamic purposes, but no one outside the team knows anything more.

Asked during a media session yesterday if there was something he could reveal about the open nose design, a smiling Red Bull’s Chief Engineering Officer Rob Marshall replied: “No, not really, no. It is there for everyone to see. It is nose with a hole in it!”

Image source, Getty Images

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer

Image source, Getty Images

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said the problems that restricted Daniel Ricciardo to just 50 laps in the final half of the afternoon session were “not major” and the Australian concurred: “Not worried,” Ricciardo said. “It would have been nice to do more laps, this morning in particular. The main issue was that it was for safety measures, so we stopped running because of some sensor things and they are giving us warnings. 

"So we are especially from the engine side playing it a bit safe. And making sure we don’t do damage on day one. In the last 2 hours we got some good running, and hopefully that continues for the rest of the test, and hopefully Max (Verstappen) does 200 laps tomorrow.”

Ricciardo’s first impressions of the Red Bull? “I feel we just touched the surface with the car. There were some corners where I could feel more downforce, and you could lean on it a bit more. I feel like that there is a lot more in it, so I am excited to see the progress of it, and to understand it and get the most out of it. They look cool, they look pretty mean, and low and fat, kind of old school. It is going to be fun.”

Stoffel Vandoorne has been quietly getting about his business today. 

He's completed 22 laps - second only to Hamilton - and has best time of 1:26.204. That's nearly five seconds off the ultimate pace but don't forget McLaren lost seven hours of precious track time yesterday. 

Just five installation laps so far for Haas, and no hot laps.

A reader has been in touch to ask for a picture of the "McLaren 1995 [word censored for legal reasons] box".  

Good shout. 

If you don't like T-wings or shark fins, you really need to look away now.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, getty

The Force India new boy is on track after lengthy delays due to an exhaust issue picked up yesterday.

Only the Renault of Jolyon Palmer still remains to be seen today.

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer

Ferrari did not put anybody up to speak to the media after the first day of testing, which was a shame, as they had an impressive day on the face of it. 

Sebastian Vettel ended it only 0.113 seconds slower than Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes. Correct it for the length of the run and the minimum amount of fuel you know must have been in the car, and Hamilton’s advantage grows to 0.387secs. 

But considering Vettel was on the medium tyre and Hamilton the soft, that is still a pretty impressive time. 

Last year, the gap between the tyres was about 0.7secs. Pirelli said it was too early to be sure what that margin was this year. And there is no way of knowing what power mode and so on the cars were in. But it at least appears as if Ferrari is not a million miles away.

Image source, Getty Images

Raikkonen's Ferrari is still in second place but has now upped his time to a 1:23.692. 

He's nearly two seconds off Hamilton but the Scuderia remain on the slower medium tyre.