Jerez Test Days One & Two: BMW Top Both Sessions

The final test of the year got underway at Jerez in Spain yesterday, and for the first two days BMW have topped the tables. The first day only saw the Swiss-German team run with Honda and Williams, and all three teams utilised a young driver in their cars, as permitted under the testing regulations. BMW gave Marko Asmer a full days drive in the F1.08, while Honda let Mike Conway loose in the RA108 and Williams ran with Dani Clos, the Spaniard making his debut in a Formula One car.

Williams and Honda both tested their KERS systems, which brought much delight to the photographers as they pictured the Honda with bright warning signs planted on the top of the roll-hoop. Asmer completed the most laps of the day, the Estonian touring Jerez 79 times, although closely followed by Clos who lapped for a total of 75. Conway was troubled with a wiring problem and his running was limited to just 20 laps.

Jerez Test Day Two

The second day saw more teams arrive and more regular drivers taking part, but BMW still managed to set the fastest lap, this time with Christian Klien taking the reigns of the car. The Austrian was handed the role of tweaking some aerodynamic parts that the team will use for the remainder of the season. Klien outpaced new grand prix winner Sebastian Vettel by 0.3s. Vettel was driving the Red Bull as planned preparation for his arrival next year gets underway. The young German pilot spent the day familiarising himself with the crew, the car of course, he already knows quite well.

Red Bull test driver Sebastien Buemi was offered the chance to test for sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso, and the Swiss driver impressed with a third quickest time. Buemi finished the day 0.4s shy of Vettel after a mammoth 88 laps. Gary Paffett also got some rare running in the McLaren yesterday, the Briton being handed the reigns of the MP4-23 for a few hours. Like with BMW, Paffett was evaluating some aero parts that the team will use for the final four races, and McLaren ran their KERS system for the first time.

Kazuki Nakajima tested for Williams, and the Oxfordshire team were running a 2009-spec rear wing; a much narrower and taller tail to the car with a lowered diffuser, a little retro-looking heralding the early-’90s era of cars. Although it was only the rear wing and diffuser that complied with the 2009 regulations (the rest of the car was ’08-spec), Nakajima was well down the timing sheet at the bottom, some 2s shy of Alex Wurz in the Honda.

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