» Button tops Day 2 test running at Jerez

After being unable to get its MP4-29 challenger fired up at all on the first day of pre-season testing, McLaren has bounced back with Jenson Button’s fastest time on Day 2 of the on-track action at Jerez.

Button’s fastest time, a 1:24.165 (some 7 seconds slower than the pace set last year), was posted on the Medium-compound 2014-spec Pirelli tyre.

Overnight showers saw Pirelli bring forward its decision to dedicate Friday’s planned wet-weather testing day, which was one of the requirements of this year’s amended regulations.

The assistance of a water tanker saw the Spanish circuit given a thorough soaking, giving the runners an opportunity to test the tyre maker’s new Wet compound rubber, which now disperses a mammoth 65 litres of water per second.

Despite the chilly conditions, the afternoon sunshine saw the track dry out enough to warrant a switch to the dry tyres and some more serious running for a number of teams.

Nico Rosberg enjoyed by far the most mileage, covering almost 100 laps in the Mercedes F1W05, which had undergone an overnight front-end rebuild in the wake of Lewis Hamilton’s heavy crash the day before. The German – sporting a new silver helmet design – was fourth-fastest and the only runner to complete some longer runs.

Of the eight drivers who clocked a timed lap, Button proved 0.6 seconds quicker than the rest of the field, with only Day 1 pacesetter Kimi Räikkönen able to get close in his Ferrari F14T. Valtteri Bottas was third-fastest, a further half-second slower in his Williams.

Sergio Pérez finished fifth-quickest in his Force India, although his day was cut short when the VJM07 ground to a halt at Turn 1. His Mexican compatriot Esteban Gutiérrez had a run in the new Sauber C33, but he also triggered the red flags with a trip into the kitty litter.

Day 1 pace-setter Kimi Raikkonen was second-fastest in his Ferrari

Sergio Perez laps Jerez in the Force India

By contrast, the day was an absolute disaster for the Renault-powered runners – Red Bull Racing, Toro Rosso and Caterham – who clocked up a paltry 19 laps between them.

A frustrated Sebastian Vettel was forced to stop further running in his Red Bull Racing RB10 after an energy store issue was detected after just 8 laps. There were also rumours buzzing of major cooling issues with the car, which sported a number of cut-outs in its bodywork that were rather feebly covered with sponsor stickers.

The new Caterham CT05 managed ten more laps than it had achieved on Day 1, with F1 rookie Marcus Ericsson creeping into double figures on his lap tally before the car ground to halt as well.

Toro Rosso had even worse luck, with Daniil Kvyat unable to get any running at all after major electrical issues were detected in his STR9.

Meanwhile, the Marussia F1 Team spent the day building its new MR03 challenger – having had the car shipped to Spain the day before – and is expected to be up and running on Thursday.

2014 Formula 1 Pre-Season Test – Jerez Day 2 Results:

	Race Drivers	Entry / Team	Result	Laps
1.	Jenson Button	McLaren Mercedes MP4-29	1:24.165	43
2.	Kimi Räikkönen	Scuderia Ferrari F14T	+ 0.647	47
3.	Valtteri Bottas	Williams F1 Team Mercedes FW36	+ 1.179	35
4.	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team F1W05	+ 1.423	97
5.	Sergio Pérez	Force India Mercedes VJM07	+ 4.211	37
6.	Esteban Gutiérrez	Sauber F1 Team Ferrari C33	+ 9.105	53
7.	Marcus Ericsson	Caterham F1 Team Renault CT05	+ 13.810	11
8.	Sebastian Vettel	Infiniti Red Bull Racing Renault RB10	+ 14.155	8
9.	Daniil Kvyat	Scuderia Toro Rosso Renault STR9	no time	0