Austrian GP || June 30 || 15h00 (Local time)
23 June 2024
Jerez Test: Barrichello ups the pace
Lapping under the 1’20 barrier
Rubens Barrichello upped the pace for Williams this morning and became the first driver to lap under the 1’20 barrier during this four-day test session at Jerez de la Frontera.
The Brazilian set his best laps on soft tyres and was the most active out there as he completed 54 laps of the circuit of Jerez. At midday, Barrichello was leading from Kobayashi and Alonso. World Champion Sebastian Vettel was sixth fastest, two seconds off Barrichello’s best time.
All eyes were on another Brazilian though, as Bruno Senna made his debut at the wheel of the Lotus Renault R31. He did 45 laps and set the fifth fastest time of the day.
The session was interrupted three times this morning. The first red flag came out at 11am, when d’Ambrosio’s Virgin had a mechanical failure. Twenty minutes later, it was Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes turn to have a mechanical problem. Shortly after noon, Kamui Kobayashi went off track.
The fastest lap times at 12h40 :
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | R. Barrichello | Williams FW33 | 1.19.832 | 54 | |
| 02 | K. Kobayashi | Sauber C30 | 1.20.601 | +0.769 | 38 |
| 03 | F. Alonso | Ferrari F150 | 1.21.074 | +1.242 | 48 |
| 04 | S. Buemi | Toro Rosso STR6 | 1.21.213 | +1.381 | 31 |
| 05 | B. Senna | Lotus Renault R31 | 1.21.990 | +2.158 | 45 |
| 06 | S. Vettel | Red Bull RB7 | 1.22.222 | +2.390 | 41 |
| 07 | J. Button | McLaren MP4-26 | 1.22.278 | +2.446 | 28 |
| 08 | N. Rosberg | Mercedes GP W02 | 1.22.773 | +2.941 | 18 |
| 09 | J. d’Ambrosio | Virgin MVR-02 | 1.22.985 | +3.153 | 18 |
| 10 | P. di Resta | Force India VJM04 | 1.23.444 | +3.612 | 35 |
| 11 | H. Kovalainen | Team Lotus T128 | 1.24.023 | +4.191 | 25 |
