Team reaction after day two in Valencia test

Sauber Ferrari

The Sauber F1 Team experienced a rather difficult second day of testing in Valencia, and covered no more than 42 laps. Despite this, the team’s new rookie driver, Sergio Pérez from Mexico, had his first driving experience at the wheel of the new Sauber C30-Ferrari.

Some technical issues have to be resolved overnight, and the team faces a busy programme tomorrow (Thursday), which will be the third and final day of winter testing on the Circuit Ricardo Tormo.

“In the morning Sergio started off for his first time in the car. The first seven runs were devoted to aerodynamic checks and consistent speed running. We then had some issues with the rear bodywork of the car, which needed time to be fixed. Then unfortunately we suffered a power train issue early in the afternoon, the reason for which we are trying to trace”, said technical director James Key. “It was a difficult day compared to yesterday, and it is a shame Sergio wasn’t able to get in more laps. We didn’t do any performance or set up running. But it is only day two of the first test, and that is how winter testing can be. That is simply the nature of early testing. We will work hard tonight to resolve the issues and plan a full programme for tomorrow.”

Sergio Perez said: “It was a difficult day with not much running and we obviously could not complete our programme. But for me it was still good to get my first laps in the new car, and I am beginning to feel confident with it. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and hope we can do a lot of running with proper set up work.”

Toro Rosso Ferrari

For the second day of the Valencia test and indeed the second ever day of track running for the STR6, Jaime Alguersuari was back in the cockpit this morning, while Sebastien Buemi took over in the afternoon for his first encounter with the new car. As the car had never turned a wheel before coming to Spain, yesterday was spent carrying out system checks, while today, both drivers were able to move on, completing a decent number of laps. All the running was aimed at developing a good understanding of the car and specifically, both drivers were able to have their first taste of running KERS. This morning Jaime was able to try three Pirelli compounds, the Medium, Soft and Super-Soft, while Sebastien tried just the first two.

Jaime Alguersuari: “A much better day than yesterday, as we managed to complete many more laps this morning, getting a lot of useful data. There is much we have to learn at this stage, especially regarding the elements that are new in the regulations. It was particularly interesting using the KERS and I am beginning to understand how to use it, especially in the power recovery phase. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car next week in Jerez and moving the development along still further.”

Sebastien Buemi: “This afternoon was my first time in the car and it felt good to be driving again after the winter break. I ran for about three hours managing 46 laps which is quite encouraging for a first day. It is going to be an interesting evening studying all the data as so much is new to us and we need to understand as well and as soon as possible how the car behaves. So tomorrow, will be a case of carrying on down this route."

Virgin Racing Cosworth

Day two of the first Formula One tests of the 2011 season saw Timo Glock back in the 2010 VR-01 car in Valencia today. The German driver and the team were able to carry on testing the new Pirelli tyres and continue working through the programme of 2011 systems evaluation.

Timo Glock completed his first 34 laps of the season. Tomorrow he will be back at the wheel of the car during the third and final day of tests in a warm and sunny Valencia. It will also be the last day with the VR-01 car, as the new MVR-02 car will be presented next Monday in London and will be ready for the second test of the season in Jerez.

Timo Glock: “It was good to be in the car again after a winter preparing myself for a new season which I am really looking forward to. These first tests are going to be useful as we continue getting to grips with the new Pirelli tyres. Despite not being able to complete as many laps as we would have liked, it has been a very interesting day for me and the team and I can’t wait to jump in the car again tomorrow and carry on working hard in preparation for the new season ahead.”

John Booth, Team Principal: “It has been another interesting day for the team in Valencia and we are getting very useful information. It’s good to see Timo back in the car again. We had some minor hydraulic problems, but the team is working very hard and is ready for tomorrow’s last day of tests in Valencia.”

Ferrari

Second day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari, alongside eleven other teams at the Cheste circuit, near Valencia.

Fernando Alonso continued with development work on the F150, concentrating mainly on acquiring data which will be used to analyse the aerodynamic behaviour of the car, as well as gaining a further understanding of the Pirelli tyres. The Spanish driver covered a total of 108 laps, the best in a time of 1.13.307.

The Scuderia continues testing at this circuit tomorrow, when Felipe Massa will be on track.

Force India Mercedes

Paul di Resta continued the Force India F1 Team’s winter testing programme at the Valencia permanent circuit today, completing more than 100 laps of the 3.92km Spanish track. The Scot contributed to an extremely productive day as he gathered more information on the performance of the three Pirelli tyre compounds available this week. His fastest lap, a 1:13.844, was the third quickest of the day behind Alonso and curent world champion Sebastian Vettel.

Paul di Resta: Another good day of testing for the team, gathering lots of information for the guys to work on as we prepare for the debut of the VJM04 next week. We’re now understanding a lot more about the performance of the Pirellis and the differences between the compounds, particularly with regards to long and shorter runs and different fuel loads. At this stage we’re not going for times, just trying to get representative data to work on. I’m feeling good and well integrated into the team and my new role, there’s a really positive atmosphere, which will set us up extremely well for next week when the new car testing programme starts.

Dominic Harlow, circuit engineering director: Today’s programme was intended to compare the various tyre compounds’ performance with yesterday’s as the track improved. During the course of the session the circuit should have reached something approaching race conditions in terms of the laps run on it, so it’s interesting data. It was a productive day and we also worked on some systems development for the VJM04. Adrian will be in the car tomorrow for the final day here.

Red Bull Renault

Red Bull Racing drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber split the driving duties today,
with Sebastian driving in the morning, before Mark took over for the afternoon.

The team continued testing its all-new RB7 and completed further system checks, as well as focusing on some aerodynamic development work.

Head of Race Engineering, Ian Morgan said: “Sebastian pretty much ran to schedule this morning; there were a few minor delays, but nothing significant. Unfortunately we lost some time changing drivers this afternoon due to some driver installation issues. Once Mark’s testing session got underway, he was able to complete two runs and begin acclimatising to the new car.”

Mark Webber said: “I didn’t get so long in the car today, so we will start the real work
tomorrow. There was a bit of a problem with the installation, something with the pedals, so it took a bit longer than we expected. It wasn’t the smoothest day, but we’re back tomorrow – it’s great that the guys have got the car here for the first test and I’m looking forward to driving it more.”

Today saw a continuation of the programme started yesterday by Gary Paffett – namely, gathering data and feedback on Pirelli’s 2011 rubber using a modified MP4-25.

Lewis Hamilton: “It felt great to be back in the car. I haven’t been driving for a while, so it felt good to brush away the cobwebs, and I felt at home straight away.

“Even though we were using the 2010 car, we had quite a productive day. We were trying to replicate 2011 downforce levels on the old car – so it wasn’t 100 per cent accurate – but we still got a good understanding of the new Pirellis and covered quite a lot of ground.

“The new tyres are easy to get a feel for; there’s not as much grip on the Pirellis as we had last year; they drop off quite a bit, too, and they’re a little bit harder to control over a longer stint – but it’s the same for everybody.”

Jenson Button winds up the programme tomorrow before focus shifts to Friday’s launch of the MP4-26 and next week’s Jerez test.

Nico Rosberg was back at the wheel of the new Silver Arrow today as the first pre-season test continues in Valencia.

Running with the Mercedes KERS system operational for the first time, Nico had a productive day, completing 69 laps as he conducted the team’s programme of systems and reliability checks with the new car.

Michael Schumacher will take over for the third and final day of the test tomorrow.

Nico Rosberg: "It was an interesting day and important that we completed a lot of laps. We ran with part of the KERS system for the first time, so much of the focus was on learning how to handle the system. It is challenging but just a matter of getting used to the buttons and how the car feels under braking out on track. Today’s running confirmed my initial good feelings about the car. We had a few issues which is normal with a new car but fixed them quickly."

Ross Brawn: "Today was important for us to get some good mileage on the car and I’m pleased with what we have been able to achieve. It has been a learning experience for us all to use KERS for the first time and inevitably we faced some teething problems with the system which should be ironed out quickly enough with further testing. A more positive day in terms of reliability and we completed a number of the key system checks with the new car."

Robert took over the cockpit of the R31 today for the second day of the Valencia test.

— Robert ran with a new steering wheel design and felt happy with the new button layout, which makes it easier to manage the heavy workload associated with KERS and the adjustable rear wing.
— Flow Viz paint was used on the car this morning allowing the team to confirm the new aero package was working as expected.
— The team ran with supersoft, soft and medium compounds of Pirelli tyres to gather preliminary data on the new 2011 rubber.

Robert Kubica: “It’s always difficult to judge things after just one day in the car, especially with so many changes compared to last year. The main factor is definitely the new Pirelli tyres, which have a big influence on how the car behaves and we ran on some of the different compounds to start getting a feeling for them. We did have a couple of mechanical issues with the car and we couldn’t complete the entire programme, but we still did lots of laps. This is very important because we managed to complete a lot of the usual system and reliability checks needed with a new car and made sure there were no overheating issues.”

James Allison: “A much more satisfying day than yesterday. Over a hundred laps today with no significant problems. The KERS system and the DRS wing worked flawlessly and the car spent enough time on the track for us to do some set-up work alongside the routine task list of pre-season checks.”

Alan Permane’s technical programme notes:
— The focus of the programme was to accumulate mileage on the R31 and that went very well with Robert covering 104 laps. This was important because we lost a lot of track time yesterday and we’ve now completed a good amount of our system checks.
— Already we have been able to play with the set-up of the car and work on tuning the balance to Robert’s liking. He completed both short and long runs throughout the day, which gives us some useful data to evaluate this evening so that we can maximise our final day of testing tomorrow.

HRT F1 Cosworth

The engine of Hispania Racing car has fired up for the second day in Cheste after the opening day of this week’s first pre-season test. The sun was shining and the grandstands of the Ricardo Tormo circuit were full of the more than 12,000 supporters who came to back their favorite outfits and drivers, all eager to see the beginning of this awaited 2011 season.

Narain Karthikeyan wore the Hispania Racing suit at the very beginning of the day to leave the pit and hit the track to roll and keep doing miles. The Indian driver completed a total 80 laps, 33 more than yesterday, improving the time posted yesterday. Therefore, a positive day since all the actions foreseen has been completed. Goals are being achieved step by step and the Indian driver, who has arrived in Valencia in an excellent mental and physical shape, is still becoming familiar with his new team. Narain shares with the team his experience and offers very relevant data to finalize the set up of the new F111.

Colin Kolles, Team Principal: “Narain has done once again a very good job in this second day of testing. Times are not now important, we pay attention to the data we are collecting. He has completed 80 laps, what is almost the double of what he did yesterday. I am very happy with his progress and I am sure he will keep on improving”.

Narain Karthikeyan: “We have been working through the program. We did 80 laps, which is good. Obviously the times are not so important, we were not going for times today, what it is ok, just building up to it nicely. Besides, I have tried several Pirelly compounds, therefore I feel really satisfied. Hopefully we will do some more work tomorrow in the same direction”.

Williams Cosworth

Sam Michael, Technical Director: We had a problem in the morning session with an ignition coil wiring loom shorting out against a testing sensor which cost us two hours with Rubens. We therefore extended his programme slightly to do some set-up work in the morning and gain more understanding of the FW33. Pastor then took over in the afternoon and acclimatised himself to the car and the electronics, he didn’t do any real set-up work as we will get into that tomorrow. Overall it was another good day in terms of mileage.

Rubens Barrichello: We have improved the car from yesterday. We had an electrical problem in the morning and the boys did a great job to sort everything out. We then had to do some quick work as I had to hand the car over to Pastor this afternoon. The work done last night on set-up has improved the car a little. We are still not there with the balance but we are going in the right direction.

Pastor Maldonado: It was great to adapt myself to the new car. It was my first time in the FW33 so I am really happy to get started. Tomorrow I will get more experience and keep working to understand the car.

Williams will be back on track tomorrow with Pastor Maldonado driving for the final day of the test.

Team Lotus Renault

Heikki Kovalainen: “Despite the limited running today the car felt fantastic. It immediately felt like it was much better balanced than last year’s car and the grip level felt ok, but it’s a bit hard to make any real judgements as we weren’t going for performance. Today was basically our shakedown and we managed to get through most of the checks we’d aimed to – it wasn’t about pushing today, it was about checking the systems and making sure the new engine, gearbox and hydraulics are all working as we want them to. The whole team has had a very busy winter and everybody has been working flat out to make sure we could be at the first test of the season which wasn’t the case last year. This morning we were the first car out on track and that’s been the story all winter – we’ve hit all our targets and it was the same today.”

Mike Gascoyne: “Firstly it was great to get the car out on track on time and I want to thank the whole team for pushing hard to get us to this point. However, it was a bit of a frustrating day as we had a problem with the power steering that brought the session to an earlier end than we would have liked. On stripdown we have been able to identify the problem and it is a very straightforward fix so we will get the parts and spares here for tomorrow and should be able to run through the whole program. On the positive side we did all the systems and temperature checks and everything appears to be running fine so with the power steering issue fixed overnight I am sure we will have two full days of testing to come.”

Tony Fernandes: “The whole team and I are very happy to be here. It is a real relief to be looking at timing sheets and data as opposed to press statements and court documents, and to be able to hear such positive words from Heikki after his first run this morning makes all the hard work worth it. Today was our shakedown and while it would have been better to run more laps it has been a very useful day. The power steering issue will be sorted overnight and then we have more time to work on performance and learning as much about this car as we can. It is worth bearing in mind that this time last year we were not even here, so to be at the first test and with more time on track to come before the action starts is a big step forward for the whole team.”