Just two weeks before the 2017 Grand Prix season kicks off in Australia, the second round of pre-season testing gets underway this morning at 9:00 CET at the Circuit de Catalunya, and we’ll be on site with live timing and commentary.

Just follow the  ‘LIVE’ link here.

As we progress through the week, and with just two weeks to go before the lights turn green in Melbourne, teams are likely to ramp up their speed and performance.

While Mercedes appears as the clear favourite to secure the bragging rights for the fastest team of the pre-season, Ferrari and Red Bull will likely also turn it up a notch to give us a better judgment of their true  potential.

Also, check out the driver line-ups for the week .

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Haas’ Guenther Steiner believes Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull are already about 1.5 seconds clear of the rest of the 2017 field!

With just two weeks to go before the lights turn green in Melbourne, the top three teams enjoy a clear edge, according to Steiner, although it’s still unclear who will lead the grid in Australia.

The assessment hasn’t taken Steiner by surprise, it’s only a logical outcome based on power and resources.

“Between the top three and the other ones it is between one second and 1.5 seconds I think,” he said.

“It is aero, and we need to work on it. It won’t be for Australia. The big teams will always have more resources to do it, and this is to be expected.

“There is no surprise that Mercedes and Ferrari and Red Bull came out better than everybody else. They have more resources to do more testing and that is what it is.”

• Haas prepping for huge mid-field battle

The Austrian team manager ax-actually believes the gap could grow as a frantic development pace takes hold among the top contenders.

“It will not get smaller in my opinion.

“But maybe the gains further up you get the smaller they get, so the smaller teams can make bigger gains because they are further behind.”

Steiner is also watching Williams, which could breakout from the chasing pack and make inroads into the top three’s dominance.

“I think the Williams is a little bit better than the big group …. I don’t know about the Renault. We need a few more days and in Australia we find out. It’s getting quite clear.”

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The Nerazzurri boss warned his players to take it easy in the bedroom, much to the amusement of fans

Inter striker Lautaro Martinez has admitted that Antonio Conte’s recent comments on how his players should carry out sexual intercourse made him laugh, but backed up his coach in asserting that players should not be overexerting themselves outside of football.

Conte recently stated in an interview that his players should be putting in minimal effort when making love to their partners in order to preserve their energy and ensure a full recovery for game days.

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“I advise my players to have sex for short periods, with the minimum of effort and use positions where they are under their partners,” the Nerazzurri boss said. “And preferably with their wives, because then you don’t have to put in an exceptional performance.”

Asked whether the former Chelsea boss’ comments had made him laugh, the centre-forward told DAZN: “Yes! We have to continue working hard in training. When we’re at home, though, we have to rest… just like he says!”

Martinez was speaking after netting the opening goal as Inter recorded a convincing 3-0 win over Torino on Saturday, with strike partner Romelu Lukaku also getting on the scoresheet.

Much has been said about Lukaku’s technical skills and ability to thrive at a top club after an ill-fated spell with Manchester United, but the Belgian has hit the ground running since swapping the Premier League for Serie A.

Martinez, meanwhile, believes that his own good form is purely down to having more games and a chance to show his true qualities, while adding that his partnership with Lukaku is also benefiting from having time to absorb and complement each other’s style.

“We are doing a great job. We must continue like this, improving day by day,” the Argentina international said. “Last year, I didn’t play as much as I wanted, I didn’t have time to prove my worth.

“Romelu and I are getting to know each other and we’re getting better and better.”

And while the forward duo were given plenty of praise following their scoring performances against Torino, coach Conte claimed that he was more happy with preserving a clean sheet than dominating the scoreline.

“The thing that makes me happiest is the clean sheet,” he said. “It was a good defensive performance and that is very important because we knew we would score sooner or later. If we can be more hermetically sealed at the back then we’ll be in good shape.”

Inter sit just one point behind league leaders Juventus, who top the Serie A table with 35 points.

The new format will see four Spanish sides travel to the Middle East, with La Liga’s eternal rivals able to face off in the final if they progress

A new four-team format has been finalised for the Supercopa de Espana that will see the competition moved to Saudi Arabia for the next three years, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has confirmed.

RFEF president Luis Rubiales revealed a proposal to convert the season curtain-raiser into a mini-tournament in February this year.

Last season’s Supercopa – traditionally a two-legged affair played between the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey – was the first to be played abroad, as Barcelona beat Sevilla 2-1 in Tangier, Morocco, with the singular match officially classed as a friendly.

But the success of the contest from the RFEF’s perspective proved its viability and it is pushing ahead with the plans having struck an agreement for Saudi Arabia to play host over the next three years, starting in February 2020.

With four teams – the Copa finalists and La Liga’s top two – set to be involved, the RFEF has moved the competition to Spain’s winter in order to “lighten the calendar”, instead of playing it at the start of the season.

Following confirmation of the revamp on Monday, the RFEF also revealed the historic first fixtures, with Real Madrid and Barcelona facing Valencia and Atletico Madrid, respectively, in the semi-finals, teeing up a potential Clasico finale on February 12.

Copa del Rey holders Valencia were particularly vocal in their opposition of the initial plans put forward by the RFEF, while many criticised the governing body for fraternising with a country that has a questionable human rights record.

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But the RFEF has called the deal an “engine for social change” and confirmed women will be allowed “unrestricted access to the matches” and the launch of a women’s football competition in the region.

RFEF believe the internationalisation of the competition will improve its credibility and subsequently boost Spain’s bid to host the 2030 World Cup.

Media reports have claimed the RFEF stands to bring in €40 million (£34m/$44m) for every season the Supercopa is hosted in Saudi Arabia. Aside from club prize money, the federation pledges to invest all its entire income from the agreement in amateur football.

The Italian media is slamming Ferrari for its low-profile stance this week in Barcelona for the first week of pre-season testing.

The Scuderia obviously learned its lesson from last season when CEO Sergio marchionne made some bold claims over the winter about his team’s expected level of performance only for the team to fall quite short of its own rosy outlook.

As a consequence, Ferrari is holding its cards close to its chest this year, much to the media’s fury.

“Low profile is acceptable,” said La Gazzetta dello Sport’s Luigi Perna, “but not complete silence.

“Journalists are like engineers,” he told the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti.

“We should be able to give feedback to the fans, who have the right to hear the drivers.”

Italy’s La Republicca was even more discontented with Ferrari’s hush policy.

“Starting the season with a news blackout is absurd,” the report declared.

“After the sad living nativity scene of the car launch comes this meaningless news blackout. A low profile asked by Marchionne is one thing, but this carelessness is quite another.”

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Formula One Group CEO Chase Carey phoned Baku promoter Arif Rahimov to apologize for negative comments made earlier this year by Liberty Media boss Greg Maffei.

Speaking on the subject of adding new races to Formula 1’s calendar, Maffei  underlined the necessity for the sport to cater to venues which add value, citing the Azerbaijan Grand Prix  as an event which “pays a big race free but does nothing to build the long term brand and help the business.”

Baku’s Rahimov countered the disparaging remarks, saying  Maffei had been ‘ignorant’, a claim supported by F1bos Chase Carey.

“I have spoken to Chase,” explained Rahimov.

“It was about a different topic but this had to be brought up, and we kind of realised that it was not everyone who shared this opinion.

“He [Carey] was apologetic about what happened, he really sounded like he completely disagreed with what had been said.

“He was really upset about the situation and that it was brought to this level. It was good to hear from Chase that he didn’t share the opinion.

“I think we are finished with it, and will just get on and show everyone who has not been to the race that we are doing a great job and it will be a great race.”

• Six must-know facts about the Bahrain GP

Baku currently has a 10-year contract with F1 which includes a break-off clause whihc can be activated after five years.

“He is really excited about the race,” Rahimov added.

“He really wants to come and see the race, and that he has heard a lot of good things.

“He feels we are a strategic partner to F1, and he really wants to keep the race.

“It was a good talk we had over the phone and it was good to know that not everyone is sharing the opinion of Greg Maffei in F1.”

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Lewis Hamilton has apologised to fans for the lack of on-track action on Friday at the Shanghai International Circuit.

And the Mercedes driver said it should be a wake up call to the sport and new owners Liberty to make changes.

“So sorry for all u either watching on TV or here at the track,” he posted on social media on Friday. “We must find a solution to deal with weather issue.”

“Seriously tho, this could actually be a blessing in disguise,” he added. “A chance for new bosses to be proactive & be creative.”

Hamilton has previously proposed reducing the Grand Prix weekend to just two days. That would mean packing more in to the Saturday programme.

“[Saturday] program: 3 practice sessions, qualifying Sunday morning and then race. Who’s down for the switch up?” he tweeted on Friday.

• China FP2 session abandoned over visibility concerns

Friday saw just 22 minutes of track action in the morning before concerns about the weather led to a red flag. The afternoon session was completely abandoned, because the safety helicopter was put out of service by poor visibility.

“The track was absolutely fine and we could have run all day today with no issue if it weren’t for the clouds,” Hamilton said.

“It’s not good for the fans watching on TV. It’s even worse for all those people in the stands, who have paid money to come out here.

“They’ve barely seen a car on track today, which must be tough for them. We need to work together with the FIA and FOM to find a solution or an alternative plan of some kind when we have circumstances like this in the future.”

The weather is expected to improve for Saturday, but rain will return overnight on Saturday and could be an issue for the Chinese Grand Prix. That’s led to suggestions that the FIA should pack an hour long practice session, qualifying and the race onto Saturday.

However, worldwide TV arrangements mean that’s unlikely to happen at such short notice.

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Rookie driver Lance Stroll will start his maiden Grand Prix from dead last on the grid as a result of a gearbox change on his Williams.

Stroll crashed in the final free practice session on the Albert Park Circuit on Saturday morning. The team was still completing repairs when qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix got underway.

Stroll did manage to get out on track and even out-qualified Renault’s Jolyon Palmer. However the team had been forced to change the gearbox in Stroll’s damaged car, which incurs a five-place grid penalty.

“Unfortunately it wasn’t a great day for Lance with his accident in FP3,” admitted Williams’ chief technical officer Paddy Lowe.

“It really set his whole day off to a bad start, from which it was difficult to recover. There was a lot of work needed on the car. We changed the entire back end as well as most of the front suspension.

“The team worked very hard to get the car ready for qualifying. But there was only time for him to get one run in the first session.

“Under huge pressure and with not very much practice in the car in any sort of qualifying format, I think that Lance did a good job to get that time on the board.

“Realistically for Lance, the race will be difficult. But it will be a good opportunity to gain experience. It’ll put him in a better position with more confidence for China.”

• Hamilton takes pole for the 2017 Australian Grand Prix

“The day started off tough and it was hard to recoup from that,” said Stroll. “What happened in FP3 was a little touch and it led to a lot of things.

“The qualifying session was in a rush and we didn’t get to do what we had planned. However, the team did a great job to get me out in qualifying so a big thank you to them.”

And despite starting from the back, Stroll is certainly not giving up on his hopes for his first ever Grand Prix outing tomorrow.

“I now want to put the day behind me and move on to the race, which will be interesting starting from the back,” he said.

“Obviously it is a long race. Played intelligently we can do something – but we will work that out tonight and see about tomorrow.”

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Haas secured its first points finish of the year in Shanghai, courtesy of Kevin Magnussen delivering an eighth-place finish in the Chinese Grand Prix.

It was the Dane’s first top-ten finish since last year’s Singapore Grand Prix and one which was achieved following a solid drive in treacherous conditions.

Magnussen launched his race from P12 on the grid and exerted caution in the opening laps under the wet but drying conditions, but was already up to 9th by lap 10, hot on the heels of Force India’s Sergio Perez.

“I had some fun out there with the Force India,” said Magnussen.

“I had a really poor start, so to come back from that and push, I was really happy,” said Magnussen.

“The car’s been good today. I was able to look after the front tires, which I think was key, along with working with the team to get the car in the right window.

“The race was really well managed from the team. It was good strategy to get me out on the supersoft after the intermediates.”

• Steely Hamilton stays in charge for Shanghai win

It wasn’t an easy day out on the race track however, with the necessity to sometimes force the issue when it came to overtaking.

“You had to fight for it, in terms of passing,” the Haas driver admitted.

“It’s not easy, but you also have grip, so you can take different lines and get close in alternative ways.

“It’s so much more fun when you’re fighting in the points. I’m happy for the team and we’re looking forward to the coming races.”

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Despite his lack of wet running and a tricky launch process, Lewis Hamilton would relish a wet start tomorrow if the lousy weather forecast is confirmed.

Most drivers have only limited knowledge of their new-spec cars shod with Pirelli’s 2017 wet weather tyres, but Hamilton isn’t deterred by the prospect of a wet track tomorrow, believing it will spice up proceedings in a great way.

“It think that would be so exciting, particularly as the starts are so much harder than before” said Hamilton.

“There’s going to be a lot of variability tomorrow. It’s very hard to figure out where you’ve got to put your hand (on the clutch).

“You have to drop it (the clutch) to a certain target, but there’s no reference point. You’re just guessing and you hope that you hit it.

“Missing it by just a bit can make all the difference between on whether you get wheelspin or you don’t. It’s tough.”

• Hamilton thwarts Vettel for pole in China

Hamilton said he was savouring Ferrari’s challenge which is forcing him to step up his game in the cockpit.

“The Ferraris have looked so fast through practice this morning and each qualifying session so we knew it was going to be close and it would mean we’d have to pull out all the stops and really have a perfect lap, a solid lap.

“It’s more exciting than ever for me because we’re really fighting these guys. It’s amazing, and I think that’s what racing is all about.

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“It really pushes you to have to raise the bar every time you head out which I love.”

Gallery: All the pictures from Saturday’s action in Shanghai

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