Jerez F1 test: team reaction after Day 1

Toro Rosso Ferrari

Daniel Ricciardo - 1.20.694 - 57 laps (P5): “It was really nice to be back in the cockpit for the first time since the Brazilian Grand Prix in November and being the first person to drive the STR7 was a little bonus. It was great to experience taking a completely new car out of the garage. We had a very productive morning, doing over 40 laps and we made good progress with our programme. Then in the afternoon, we did a couple of longer runs, but had to cut it short, although we only lost an hour. I was using the Medium tyre on that last run, having used Hard tyres for the rest of the day. So, overall, a good start and I’m looking forward to another productive day tomorrow, because this car is very enjoyable to drive. It was a good feeling going fast again. It’s too early to give a true assessment of the car, but out of the box this morning, it seemed balanced and quite stable. It gave me a good feeling when I put the power down.”

Franz Tost: “We completed 57 laps today, so we are quite pleased with the first outing of the new car which seems to have a good base from which we can move forward. Daniel felt confident in the car and we ran trouble free until we lost some oil pressure, at which point the engine protector did its job and stopped the car. We are now investigating this loss of oil pressure, but we are confident we can have another good day tomorrow. As the failure happened at four o’clock, we only lost one hour’s track time which we expect to make up for tomorrow. The car looks nice but the important thing is that it should be fast. My first impression, having enjoyed the rare experience of going out onto the track to watch it in action through some corners this morning, is that the basis of the car is quite good and healthy."

Sauber Ferrari

The Sauber F1 Team is happy with the first day of pre-season testing in Jerez. Kamui Kobayashi was at the wheel of the new Sauber C31-Ferrari. The car proved to be reliable which allowed Kamui to cover more than one hundred laps and the team to carry out a comprehensive test programme.

Giampaolo Dall’Ara: “We had a productive first day of testing; the car proved to be reliable which is always a good start and enabled us to do some long runs. The systems’ checks were positive and the temperatures are alright as well. For evaluation we worked on tyres and set-up and were running different fuel loads. We also carried out some mechanical work and did intense pit stop practice with new procedures in place. At the end of the test programme we finally checked the fuel system.”

Kamui Kobayashi - 1.21.353 - 106 laps (P7): “I’m happy. The new car feels fine. We managed good mileage today despite a small problem in the morning session. Running today wasn’t about performance but focused on checking systems and reliability. Nevertheless I got the impression the new Pirelli tyres might be good for us. I am looking forward to the next tests and to further work on the car.”

Tomorrow and on Thursday Sergio Pérez will be driving before handing back the car to Kamui on Friday.

Williams Renault

Mark Gillan, Chief Operations Engineer: We performed a number of systems checks on the car today, including testing our new engine installation and some aerodynamic correlation runs. Unfortunately testing was cut short with a couple of initial teething problems which we are currently investigating. We intend to get these fixed this evening in time for a full test programme with Pastor tomorrow.

Pastor Maldonado - 1.23.371 - 25 laps (P11): It feels great to be back with the team and to start putting some mileage on the FW34. The car felt good and the systems were all working well this morning. I like the feel of the new Renault engine as well. It’s still too early to make any predictions, but we are pushing hard and working to understand the car better.

The Williams F1 Team will be back on track tomorrow, Wednesday 8 February, with Pastor Maldonado continuing in the FW34 for the second day of the test.

Caterham Renault

Heikki Kovalainen - 1.23.178 - 28 laps (P10): “It’s good to be back at work after the winter break and great to see how up for the season ahead the whole team are. We were first out on track this morning and the early feeling I had from the car was good. It’s far too early to tell how much we’ve progressed but it already feels like we’re going in the right direction. We obviously didn’t want to end early today but we couldn’t sort out the starter shaft issue in time to get back on track, but I’m reasonably pleased with what we have achieved today and I know the team will put in the work tonight to get us back out on track tomorrow and pick up where we left off today.”

Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer: “It is always a good feeling to see the new car out on track for the first time after all the hours everybody in the team has put in over the last few months to get us to this point. We had to bring day one to an early end after damage to the starter shaft meant we were unable to start the engine which is a shame because it was an unusual issue and we had enjoyed a positive morning, working through the usual day one system checks and running without any reliability issues on the car until that point. Heikki’s early feedback on the car is good and there is plenty to come from this car so we are looking forward to a positive next three days in Jerez.”

Riad Asmat, Caterham Group CEO: “First I want to thank everybody back at the factory and here in Jerez for the incredibly hard work they have all put in to help produce the first Caterham F1 car. We passed our crash tests early, we were first on track today and it is a sign of how far we have come in just two seasons that we can turn up with our new car at the first test and run from the moment the lights go green. The fact we had an issue that brought the day to a premature conclusion is something we will look into – we have not had that problem before and totally unexpected issues are always one of the risks with a new car, but we will fix that and progress tomorrow.“

Mercedes AMG

MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS began its 2012 testing programme in Jerez today, using the team’s 2011 car, the MGP W02.

— Nico tested during the morning while Michael was in the car for the afternoon
— Both drivers completed a set-up programme which focused on learning about the behaviour of the 2012 Pirelli tyres
— The reliable 2011 car also allowed the team to accumulate valuable mileage on a number of test items for the 2012 season

Michael will continue the test programme tomorrow, with Nico in action again on Thursday.

Nico Rosberg - 1.20.219 - 56 laps (P3): “We made a very good start to our testing programme today and completed 56 laps this morning. I was driving the 2011 car, so it felt comfortable straightaway. We tested some different things in perfect weather conditions and started learning about the 2012 Pirelli tyres and how they work. I was really happy to be out on track in my Mercedes and I know that, back at the factory, our development of the new car is running according to our plan.”

Michael Schumacher - 1.20.794 - 42 laps (P6): “After a long break, it feels terrific being back in the car and hitting the circuit again. Our main job was to get a first impression of the tyres for 2012 and to start understanding them. They feel like a step forward, more consistent and comfortable to drive, and the biggest difference is with the rear tyre. Thanks to everybody at Pirelli for their good job this winter. Let’s see what we can learn tomorrow.”

HRT F1 Cosworth

The Winter break has been a short one and, after only two months, a renewed HRT F1 Team returned to action today for the first Formula 1 pre-season tests being held at the Circuito de Jerez, with Pedro de la Rosa as the only driver at the wheel of the F111.

The team is viewing these tests as a chance to get the technical team, which has practically been renewed in its entirety, and the new equipment and systems a first taste of the action. They are also important for Pedro de la Rosa as he aims to regain a feel for the car. The Spanish driver completed a total of 44 laps, covering a distance of 194.612 kilometres.

Today’s testing with the 2011 car has focused mainly on optimizing the car’s balance with the different tyres that Pirelli has brought to these tests (soft, medium and hard compounds). The session progressed with no major issues and, both the team and de la Rosa, finished the day with the sense of a job well done.

HRT F1 Team will continue to work tomorrow on driving aspects, in order to complete its scheduled two-day programme for Jerez.

Pedro de la Rosa - 1.24.209 - 44 laps (P12): “I really enjoyed myself today to be honest. I have to admit that I was a little bit nervous at the beginning of the day, because I barely knew anyone in the team or the car itself, but I’m very satisfied with how it went. Today the main thing was to do some mileage, not try things out, simply to get to know each other and I think the team did a great job. I felt very well surrounded, both by the mechanics and the engineers who worked with me. They all did a fantastic job. I want to insist on the work everyone did today because we were all new to the team. I think the sensations were positive for everyone”.

Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal: “We’ve gone through a couple of months of intense work and it was very important for everyone to be here and get things going on the track. I must say that I am very proud of the job done by everybody to achieve this. A large amount of the team and the materials are new so we needed to put these into practice. Everything went well, with no relevant problems, and we’ve taken another step, albeit a small one, in the right direction which is what matters right now”.

McLaren Mercedes

Jenson begun the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team’s 2012 pre-season testing programme at Jerez this morning. The day started slowly, with Jenson and the team conducting a number of shorter runs, before completing a thorough systems check to ensure the car was running reliably.

Before lunchtime, however, the car was back on track as the team begun a number of longer runs lasting for the remainder of the day. These were useful in helping the team to begin measuring tyre-wear on Pirelli’s new-spec rubber and assessing the MP4-27’s fundamental handling characteristics over the course of a stint.

Jenson Button - 1.21.530 - 62 laps (P8): “It’s been a good day: this morning, we ran through our installation and systems checks and the running was good. We’ve been gathering data on aerodynamics, downforce levels, temperatures and the feeling inside the cockpit.

“We did a 15-lap timed run this afternoon, which is a good starting point for us – and the consistency was okay. It’s been a positive day: there are no niggly areas with the car, which is nice. Overall, today was just a starting point, and was all about putting miles on the car. There are some promising signs, so I’m happy.

“It’s now important for us to get a clean day of running tomorrow, put some miles on the car and find a direction that we like. Today’s a very good basis for the next few days.”

Force India Mercedes

Sahara Force India’s winter testing programme got underway today as the team made the most of warm and sunny weather conditions in Jerez, Spain.

Paul Di Resta was behind the wheel as the team started systems checks, data collection and set-up work.

Tomorrow morning Jules Bianchi will get his first taste of the VJM05, before Paul takes over in the afternoon.

Paul Di Resta - 1.19.772 - 101 laps (P2): “A good start to our winter test programme with 101 laps completed, which allowed us to get through all our objectives and a bit more. The baseline balance felt pretty good and the car performed consistently over the longer runs, which was useful for collecting the data we need. So I think we can be positive heading into tomorrow and the next three days will be interesting as we have more test items to evaluate. On a personal level it’s also nice to spend such a busy day in the car to shake off the rust and assess my fitness level.”

Andrew Green, Technical Director: “To complete over 100 laps on the first day of testing is the ideal way to begin our week in Jerez. We made good progress with the job list and managed to complete all the objectives set for the day. We ran on the new 2012-spec hard and medium Pirelli tyre compounds throughout, which will help give us some consistency when analysing the data tonight. As usual, Paul’s feedback was excellent and we’re starting to get a good idea of the set-up direction we should take for the coming days.

“Jules will be in the car tomorrow morning so the priority is to get him comfortable and up to speed quickly. We will also continue with more of the work we started today and try to get as many miles on the car as possible.”

Red Bull Renault

Mark Webber steered Red Bull Racing’s 2012 challenger, the RB8, out on track for the first time today and despite a slightly delayed start ended the day as the fourth-quickest man.

Mark Webber - 1.20.496 - 54 laps (P4): “It was good, I felt quite comfortable in the car quite quickly. It’s very early days, but so far so good. We had a small delay this morning with a part due to fog at the airport. It’s never part of the plan to give up running time, but you can’t control mother nature. However, we made a good recovery, got 54 laps done this afternoon and we’ll aim for a better day tomorrow.“

Head of Race Engineering Ian Morgan commented that although the late start was unexpected, it didn’t cause any major issues in terms of getting through the day’s programme.

Ian Morgan: “The delay meant we didn’t get running until midday, which is a little bit frustrating, but otherwise I think this has been the best car build we’ve ever had. Fortunately the delay wasn’t too severe, as it was very cold early this morning and for the first hour and a half I don’t think the track was in great condition anyway. So we probably only lost an hour or so of proper running. When Mark did get going, it was pretty smooth and we didn’t see anything unexpected. We have done a lot of simulation work and today pretty much confirmed what we are getting from that. It’s nice to repeat it on track and we’re happy with how things went.

“We’re set to do some tyre evaluation tomorrow. It’s a tight testing schedule and tomorrow is Mark’s last day in the car here, before Sebastian takes over, so we have a lot to get through.”

Lotus F1 Team’s 2012 challenger, the E20, topped the times during the first day of testing at Jerez with Kimi Räikkönen at the wheel.

Lotus Renault

Kimi Räikkönen - 1.19.670 - 75 laps (P1): “It was a positive first day of testing and everything went almost to plan. We had no major issues and I got a good feel for the car and the tyres. The tyres were more of a challenge in the afternoon when we ran with a scrubbed set, but overall it was a positive day. The lap times don’t matter today. I’m happy with the balance of the car, which feels good, and the fact that we didn’t have any major issues. Also, I did more than a race distance today and did not have any physical problems at all, which is good. I’m looking forward to making further progress with the car tomorrow.”

James Allison, Technical Director: “It was a flawless morning with a slightly interrupted afternoon as we changed the second of the KERS batteries which we ran today. Overall it was a very promising day in terms of reliability and it gives us a good springboard for the rest of the test. So far Kimi’s feedback on the car has been complimentary in terms of the balance, the braking and other features. The steering is slightly heavy for his liking at the moment, but we already have a different steering rack being completed which he will use in Barcelona

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “We enjoyed a strong first day with the E20 in both performance and reliability and this is a testament to all the hard work done by everyone at Enstone over the winter. It’s always nice to be top of the timesheets, but the main encouraging factor from today is the car’s reliability; apart from a small KERS problem this afternoon it was fautless. We ran on the medium compound Pirelli tyre all day and it seemed to hold up pretty well, showing similar degradation to that we saw last year, so I think there’ll be exciting racing once more in 2012.”

Kimi will complete his running in the E20 at Jerez tomorrow, before handing the car over to team-mate Romain Grosjean for the Thursday and Friday sessions.

Ferrari

Felipe Massa - 1.22.815 - 69 laps (P9)

First day of testing in 2012 for Scuderia Ferrari who, with Felipe Massa at the wheel, gave the F2012 its debut.

For the full day, work centred almost exclusively on data acquisition relating to the handling of the new car: Felipe completed a total of 69 laps, the quickest in a time of 1.22.815.

Testing at this track continues tomorrow, again with the Brazilian driver at the wheel.