17/02/2019
NEWS STORY
As has become its practice in recent years, Mercedes will continue to have both its drivers on duty each day, with Lewis Hamilton kicking things off on Monday morning before handing over to teammate Valtteri Bottas in the afternoon.
The same strategy is being used at Renault where Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg will alternate on mornings and afternoon, while Haas and Williams are the only teams scheduled to have a reserve driver on duty, Pietro Fittipaldi in action for the American outfit and Nicholas Latifi at Williams.
For the most part, teams are opting to give their drivers a full day in their cars, with Sebastian Vettel getting first taste of the Ferrari and his former teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, in action tomorrow in the Alfa Romeo.
Following this morning's announcement from Williams, whereas Robert Kubica was due to drive the FW42 on Monday morning, handing over to teammate George Russell for the afternoon, a revised schedule sees Russell in the car on Tuesday morning before handing over to Nicholas Latifi. The Canadian will be back in the car on Wednesday morning before handing over to Kubica in the afternoon. The Pole drives on Thursday morning before Russell brings things to a close in the afternoon.
Whereas the weather caused problems last year, conditions this week are expected to be fine. While there is no rain forecast for any of the four days, temperatures should reach 14 or 15 degrees C, with Wednesday expected to be particularly sunny.
| Team | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu |
| Mercedes | Bott/Ham | Ham/Bott | Bott/Ham | Ham/Bott |
| Ferrari | Vettel | Leclerc | Vettel | Leclerc |
| Red Bull | Verstappen | Gasly | Verstappen | Gasly |
| Renault | Hulk/Ricc | Ricc/Hulk | Hulk/Ricc | Ricc/Hulk |
| Haas | Gros | Magnussen | Gros/Fitt | Fitt/Magnussen |
| McLaren | Sainz | Norris | Sainz | Norris |
| Racing Point | Perez | Stroll | Perez | Stroll |
| Alfa Romeo | Raikkonen | Giovinazzi | Raikkonen | Giovinazzi |
| Toro Rosso | Kvyat | Albon | Kvyat | Albon |
| Williams | Postponed | Russ/Latifi | Latifi/Kubica | Kubica/Russ |