Testing continued at Spain’s Jerez circuit today, although the weather only got worse overnight and the teams have been running in the wet. The climate is not ideal for the drivers and most have been frustrated at the rain that seems to be continually falling at the moment. However, despite the inclement conditions, all drivers managed to set lap times and it was Rubens Barrichello who went fastest, completing a tour of Jerez in 1m27.145s, 4.6s slower than yesterday’s fastest lap.
After a great debut for Lotus yesterday, when test driver Fairuz Fauzy completed 76 trouble-free laps at the control of the T127 without power steering, today Heikki Kovalainen managed to find himself stuck in the gravel after just 30 laps. The Finn admitted the error was his and damage to the front wing meant the team had to call it a day, spare parts being a premium at the moment as the car is so new. Kovalainen had been updating his Twitter account fairly regularly over the past two days, confirming the T127 now had power steering fitted and allowing followers a look at his new helmet design, but went quiet after owning up for his mistake.
Had a crash and damaged front wing, session over for us. S..t! My mistake, tomorrow we go again… Heikki Kovalainen.
Technical Director Mike Gascoyne confirmed that the team have no spare front wings available, although a part is on it’s way from the team’s base in Norfolk and should arrive at the Jerez track at 2am, ready for the third day of testing tomorrow. Gascoyne also said that progress had been made on the hydraulic issue which caused the team some time earlier today.
With the weather hampering efforts, only two drivers appeared to make the most of the drier conditions, with Rubens Barrichello and Vitaly Petrov setting their fastest laps at around lunchtime, just prior to the rain returning once again.
Elsewhere, Virgin had a much better day and Timo Glock managed to complete 98 laps to go eighth quickest, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastien Buemi. Force India too were enjoying their running today, with the car once again being shared, although this time between Paul Di Resta and Vitantonio Liuzzi. Di Resta improved again, this time getting as high as seventh. Liuzzi settled for ninth as the chequered flag fell.
Pedro De La Rosa wasn’t haven’t such a productive day though, the Spaniard only managing to complete 8 laps. Sauber are yet to comment on why De La Rosa remained in the garage. The busiest driver of the day was Glock, closely followed by third quickest driver Sebastian Vettel, who continues to underline the potential in the new RB6 chassis.
Jerez Test
|
Lap Time
|
Laps Set
|
1. | Rubens Barrichello Williams | 1m27.145s | 70 Laps |
2. | Vitaly Petrov Renault | 1m27.828s | 57 Laps |
3. | Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing | 1m28.162s | 92 Laps |
4. | Nico Rosberg Mercedes | 1m28.515s | 57 Laps |
5. | Felipe Massa Ferrari | 1m28.879s | 8 Laps |
6. | Pedro De La Rosa Sauber | 1m29.691s | 33 Laps |
7. | Paul Di Resta Force India | 1m30.344s | 56 Laps |
8. | Timo Glock Virgin Racing | 1m30.476s | 98 Laps |
9. | Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India | 1m30.666s | 71 Laps |
10. | Lewis Hamilton McLaren | 1m31.633s | 72 Laps |
11. | Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso | 1m32.678s | 24 Laps |
12. | Heikki Kovalainen Lotus | 1m33.554s | 30 Laps |
I was getting the updates on sebastian-vettel.org (it’s not his official site, but it’s better) and honestly there is nothing more embarressing than having your boyfriend apologize to you via the comment system. It’s all sorted. GO SEB GO!
Based on your photos from the test articles, do you ahve a newfound affinity for Red Bull-backed cars Ollie? π
Haha. Red Bull is a common theme with me!. The Caption Contests tend to feature Mark Webber more than the others as well. In fact, I’ve just scheduled Mr Funny Face for next Wednesday’s Caption. However, in this case, I pre-published the post with whatever image was available. As it happens, I chose a photo from a previous day’s test at Jerez, that yes, you’re right, was a Red Bull. Sometimes it happens – there is a slight underlying rumour, but the least said, the better (eh, Pink!?). π
More often than not, it’s the goddamn FIA images that hog the front page. All said and done, I support the sport, not a particular team or driver. Despite the frequency of images on the homepage. π