F1: Vettel fastest again before rain hits

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Sebastian Vettel topped Formula 1 pre-season testing at Jerez for the second day running in the Ferrari SF15-T.

The four-time world champion set several laps faster than anyone else during two medium-tire runs in the morning, and his position at the top of the times was safe once a rain shower hit the track with an hour of running remaining.

Sauber used soft Pirelli tires to take the runner-up spot for the second day running, with Felipe Nasr edging out Williams's Valtteri Bottas when both were lapping on the yellow-sidewalled tires at the same time in the afternoon.

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Mercedes topped the lap count again, but 2014 world champion Lewis Hamilton fell some way short of team-mate Nico Rosberg's day one total of 157 laps. Although Hamilton clocked 91 laps, his day was cut short when a water leak forced him to stop the F1 W06 in the pit entry.

McLaren and Red Bull also endured troublesome days, with Jenson Button only completing six laps for the former and Daniil Kvyat failing to post a time for the latter.

Button's only lap time in the MP4-30 was 33 seconds off the pace, while Kvyat's programme was limited to single-lap runs after he damaged Red Bull's only front wing – forcing him to run without one for the rest of the day.

The second day of the test also marked the debut of the Lotus E23, which joined the action for the first time mid-morning and completed 41 laps with Pastor Maldonado. The Lotus was responsible for the only red flag of the day, though, as a drivetrain issue forced Maldonado to stop on the approach to the final corner in the afternoon.

Very few teams went back out after the rain hit, with Vettel, Nasr, Max Verstappen and Button the only drivers to take to the circuit in the wet.

TUESDAY'S TEST TIMES:

Originally on Autosport.com