Team reaction from Jerez

While Sebastian Vettel set the pace as testing resumed at Jerez, a great deal of attention was focussed on the new Lotus T127 which made its test debut. With 11 teams in attendance, the weather again played its role with showers persisting for much of the day but most were still however still able to gain valuable test mileage...

Red Bull

Poor weather conditions and a break-down in the official timing were the obstacles in the way of today’s testing, but consistent runs from Sebastian Vettel ensured the RB6 topped the timesheets.

Testing was heavily affected by the wet conditions – heavy rain overnight and this morning meant a soaking track forcing initial runs on wet tyres and that our aero and mechanical set-up testing was not as extensive as planned.

A break in the weather over lunch provided dry running in the early afternoon, before the return of the rain. The official timing system also shut down during which the team lost what they claim to be ’a few recorded laps’, before Vettel set the fastest official lap time.

Ian Morgan, head of race engineering: “We got a lot of laps done and the car has been good and reliable. We’ve made a few small changes but we didn’t get through as much as the programme as we’d hoped because of the weather. Sebastian and the car were consistent on the long runs in the dry which is promising.

"We’re continuing to make steady progress; the car is better than it was last week and every time we turn a wheel we seem to be moving forward a little bit.”

McLaren

The day-long changeable conditions made progress frustratingly slow, as meaningful running could not be achieved without the arrival of either a rain shower or a red-flag period. Nevertheless, the team continued with its development of MP4-25, making solid progress with the car’s balance and set-up, based largely on a thorough evaluation of and response to the data gathered at last week’s running at Jerez.

Lewis Hamilton caused an early red flag during the morning’s running when his car was stopped by a minor systems error. Thereafter, the car ran without problems and was able to achieve some encouraging times over several long runs. With heavier rain forecast for tomorrow, the team will continue with its reactive programme, continuing to put miles on the car while simultaneously looking at improving performance.

Ferrari

Ferrari resumed testing this morning at Jerez de la Frontera, alongside ten other teams, in preparation for the new season. Felipe Massa was at the wheel of the F10, on a day affected by changeable weather conditions: rainy downpours and bursts of sunshine alternating throughout the session, making it difficult to manage the work schedule.

In addition, there were further interruptions caused by cars being stuck out on track. By the end of the day, Massa had completed 72 laps, the quickest in a time of 1:23.204. Testing continues at this track tomorrow, again with Massa driving.

Toro Rosso

Just four days after the end of the last test session, the third and penultimate one of the winter got underway today, again at Jerez de la Frontera, with a total of eleven teams in action. It was a case of same venue – same weather, as yet again, rain showers came and went throughout the day. At least the weather meant it was possible to acquire useful data regarding the optimum switching point between dry, intermediate and extreme wet tyres.

On the agenda in the Scuderia Toro Rosso camp was a brake system evaluation and fortunately, there were enough dry laps available for Sebastien Buemi to complete this. The STR5 had no major technical problems today and the Swiss driver will be in action again tomorrow, when more rain is forecast.

Sauber

In constantly changing weather conditions, Pedro de la Rosa, who was at the wheel of the C29, used the day to try out all the different tyre specifications.

Pedro de la Rosa: “The conditions were obviously not ideal today, but overall things went well for us, and we were able to complete all the work we had on the programme for today. However, we hope to get in some more laps in dry conditions because we still have a lot of work to do. The weather forecast is not very good for tomorrow, so we have to make the most of every dry window we get.”

Thomas Hunsicker, test engineer: “The day was dominated by ever-changing weather conditions. We were able to use all the tyre specifications – wet, intermediate and dry – and worked on optimising the set-up for the various tyres as well as for different fuel levels. In addition, we completed some systems work. The car ran reliably all day.”

Mercedes

Mercedes began the third pre-season test at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain today with Michael Schumacher at the wheel of the MGP W01. After last week’s rain-affected test, further bad weather left the track very wet for the start of testing this morning and intermittent rain showers continued to disrupt the action throughout the day.

With the team’s programme constantly adapting to suit the conditions, Schumacher began the day on wet tyres before switching to intermediates as a dry line began to emerge by late morning.

Schumacher successfully completed a planned long run on dry tyres in the early afternoon before a further downpour soaked the track. Despite the interruptions, Schumacher completed 111 laps today, covering 492kms.

Nico Rosberg will take over the car tomorrow for the second day of the test.

Michael Schumacher: "The weather was really changing all the time today which made it difficult to follow our planned programme and to have a clear picture of everyone’s performance.

"From the laps that we achieved, we have again confirmed the reliability of the car, and from the impressions and data gathered, we can say that the pace and performance looks very good. We have a strong basis to keep up the development this week here in Jerez and next week at the final test in Barcelona."

Force India

Force India resumed its VJM03 testing programme at Jerez today as the first of a four day programme got underway. New test and reserve driver Paul di Resta got his first taste of the 2010 challenger in the morning before Adrian Sutil took over for the afternoon’s running.

As was the case for last week’s test, running was punctuated by heavy rain storms and cloudy skies with high winds also a disrupting factor. However in a productive day working through set-up and control systems checks, di Resta completed over 300km while Sutil covered 120km, bringing the day’s mileage to more than 450km.

Paul di Resta: "Today was my first run in the new car and it felt pretty good. The objective was to get as much running as possible and we managed over 300km, which was a great effort, particularly given the bad weather conditions we had over the morning. It seemed to be drying out and then the rain would return again so you were in a sort of no man’s land with the tyres. Even with this type of weather though I could get an impression of the car. It seems stable and good all round, a genuine improvement on the car I drove last year. I’ll be back in the car in Barcelona and am looking forward to it already."

Adrian Sutil: "It was a short session for me today. I only started my first run just before 4pm when the track was drying in places but there were still a few damp patches on the racing line. We did two long runs on the slick tyres but in the mixed conditions it was hard to get a view on the car. But at this stage all running is good and we’re ready to go out again tomorrow to get some more mileage and data on the car."

Dominic Harlow, chief race engineer: "Paul completed 76 laps today in unsettled conditions to get his first experience of the VJM03. He also carried out some control systems tests and ran wet, intermediate and dry tyres. During a very windy afternoon Adrian took over the car for a short programme in predominantly dry conditions continuing set-up development from last week’s test. The VJM03 ran reliably all day, which gives a good basis for the remaining three days."

Renault

A day of mixed weather in Jerez saw the circuit affected by several heavy rain showers during the day. At times the track dried out allowing the team to complete a mix of wet and dry running.

Vitaly Petrov: “Another wet day in Jerez. The track conditions were constantly changing from wet to dry, which made it difficult to learn very much. We have to hope that tomorrow is better so that we can get a lot of laps on the car.”

Alan Permane, Chief Engineer: “It was a very frustrating day, especially for Vitaly who has had very little dry running so far. The frequent showers meant that the track was wet for most of the day and we couldn’t achieve a great deal of constructive work.”

Williams

Rubens Barrichello took to the test track today and completed set-up work and systems checks with the FW32, putting in 109 laps and recording the tenth fastest time of the day.

Sam Michael, technical director: "Today the track was generally damp with only a few windows to run dry tyres. Although we covered a good number of laps, we had a couple of small mechanical problems that cost us track time when the grip was at its highest. We continue running tomorrow with Rubens."

Lotus

Lotus Racing has enjoyed a successful first day of testing at Jerez with driver Fairuz Fauzy completing 76 laps without problems, and completing the 300 kms needed to gain his Super Licence, subject to FIA approval.

The team was among the first cars on track in wet conditions, and, despite a lack of power steering, due to supplier issues, Fauzy successfully fulfilled all his and the team’s objectives for the day.

Fairuz Fauzy: “First of all I want to thank the team. To arrive here and complete 76 laps is fantastic. It was a big challenge, both to complete the 300kms I need for the Super Licence, and with no power steering it was difficult to drive in the dry, not so bad in the wet, so I was driving a bit conservatively but I am just very pleased.”

Mike Gascoyne, chief technical officer: “It’s been an excellent day for the whole team. Firstly I want to say a big thank you to Fairuz who did an excellent job today with the first proper day of running. With so much going on, such as doing systems checks, it can be a pretty disjointed day for the driver.

"When you add into that the changeable conditions, and also the fact we were running without power steering today, it could have been a tricky day for Fairuz but he didn’t put a foot wrong so well done to him and a big thank you.

“With the car we had no major reliability issues – a few niggles with overheating which were quickly solved and then the car ran pretty faultlessly. The power steering issue will be fixed for tomorrow so all in all a very successful first day and a busy evening ahead preparing the car for tomorrow.”

Heikki Kovalainen takes over driving duties for the next two days before Jarno Trulli joins the action on Saturday.

Virgin

Virgin Racing were trackside in Jerez today but experienced more of the rough than the smooth today when an elusive hydraulics problem proved hard to pin down.

After dodging the wet running that is starting to dominate pre-season testing, the team were forced to spend the afternoon in diagnostic mode conducting a series of out-laps to try to flush out the root cause through the hydraulic system.

As a result, the team completed just ten laps of the 4.5km circuit and were unable to set a representative lap time.

Nick Wirth, technical director: "We have experienced a sequence of hydraulic problems which were tricky to diagnose on a new car. This caused us to suffer long and frustrating periods confined to the garage and when we did venture out on track it was purely to conduct a series of exploratory out-laps to try to understand if we had cured the problem.

"We eventually discovered the real issue, albeit rather late in the day. Nonetheless, having fully identified the problem, we can fix it tonight and look forward to what we hope will be a more constructive day of running for Timo and the team tomorrow.”