12-Mar-10: Sutil and Rosberg Lead the Way in Free Practice

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Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 12th March 2010.

F1 has finally returned and Free Practice 1 and 2 are complete. The drivers descended on the Bahrain International Track, well, most of them did. In FP1, Sutil topped the session, followed by Alonso and Kubica. Rosberg was 8th whilst Schumacher was 10th, amid suggestions that he was not at all comfortable in the car yet. Further back, neither di Grassi nor Senna set a time, although it was quite a moment when Senna began his installation lap, making both his and Hispania’s debut. Chandhok did not leave the garage at all, his car wasn’t ready. For FP2, his car still remained stuck in the garage, leaving the Indian with no laps completed at all. Rosberg was fastest at the end of the day, followed by Hamilton and Schumacher. We only had one major spin from Alguersuari who narrowly missed the barriers, but continued on his way unharmed.

That’s all for today. Don’t forget F1 Minute goes seven days a week now the season has begun, so I will be back tomorrow with all the news from qualifying.

28-Feb-10: Hamilton Leads Final Day of Testing

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Welcome to F1 Minute for the 28th February 2010 – a special edition to cover the fourth and final day of pre-season testing.

Lewis Hamilton was fastest on the last day in Barcelona, and he completed the most number of laps with 134. He was only a couple of hundredths faster than Webber in second though, and Massa and Sutil weren’t that far behind either. Further down the order, Kubica finished up tenth for Renault, whilst Kovalainen pipped di Grassi to finish Lotus ahead of Virgin by just under a second. Lotus had a good morning but had gearbox troubles in the afternoon, whilst Virgin were still struggling with hydraulic problems – but as mentioned previously, they’re hoping their pre-Bahrain upgrade will sort that out.

Massa has been talking about Ferrari’s progress so far and said: “I’m satisfied with the whole of testing, not just Barcelona. We did what we wanted to do, but it looks like it will be a very tough and competitive championship.” He also added: “I’m 100% sure that I will never have a problem with Fernando.” Just wanted to highlight that, in case it comes back to haunt him.

That’s all for now, I’ll be back tomorrow with your regular F1 Minute.

Renault – Barcelona Test Session, Day 4

The Renault F1 Team completed its final day of winter testing in Barcelona with Robert Kubica.

Circuit: Barcelona

Length: 4.6 km

Driver: Robert Kubica

Chassis: R30-03

Total Laps: 107 laps

Fastest Lap: 1:23.175

Summary of the day: Dry and sunny weather in Barcelona gave good testing conditions. The team lost some track time in the morning with a technical problem, but covered good mileage in the afternoon.

Robert Kubica: “In the morning we lost a lot of track time with a technical problem. In the afternoon we tried to do a race distance, which was interrupted, but we did cover a lot of laps. Afterwards we just did a couple more runs for set-up work to try and improve the car a bit more.”

Alan Permane, Chief Engineer: “Our final day of testing was a mixed one as we suffered a problem with the gearbox on the installation lap, which limited our running. We managed to get back out at the end of the morning to evaluate some new aero parts and also worked on improving the set-up of the car. For the afternoon we tried to cover a race distance, and although it was interrupted, we did cover the desired number of laps. To end the day we returned to our set-up programme.”

First Grand Prix of 2010
Bahrain 12-14 March

Quotes Roundup – Week Ending 28th February

The very best from the mouths of those in the know.

Final Test in Barcelona

The cars get set for their second week of testing…

• “If they did that time with 150 kilos then they were quick. But this time is not the benchmark. It’s early days, and I would not say that any team has made any serious qualifying efforts so far.” Norbert Haug on Red Bull
  
• “I really don’t know where we are, compared to all the other teams. There is such a scatter of lap times and long runs, it is very difficult for me to judge. I think we are quite competitive, but let’s wait.” Pedro de la Rosa
  
• “We are trying to do the best that we can, and then we will find out in Bahrain whether it is enough or not. But to be honest it is never enough, so we are pushing very hard and trying to work as hard as possible in these tests, which are quite crucial for the first few races, and we hope to be ready in Bahrain.” Robert Kubica
  

All About Virgin

The team prepare for the season…

• “Unfortunately when we were running some experimental control settings on the car, which were adversely affecting its handling, this caught Lucas out on the entry to turn nine resulting in a spin and contact with the barrier. We’re going to need to spend the time before tomorrow replacing some broken suspension and wings. We should be back on track tomorrow morning when we hope to really start building up our mileage.” Nick Wirth
  
• “I am thrilled to be joining Virgin Racing. This role offers me a great opportunity to prepare myself for the Formula 1 environment, which is naturally where my longer-term ambitions lie. I look forward to learning from Timo and Lucas as well as soaking up as much information as possible from engineering meetings and time on the simulator.” Andy Soucek
  
• “The way of operating with CFD is just a bit quicker than windtunnel time. A lot of stuff in the windtunnel takes quite a lot of time to make the model and test in the tunnel. That goes much quicker with CFD, but we still have to show people that it is definitely working.” Timo Glock
  

Return of the Michael

Schumacher is ready to race…

• “I cannot make judgements specifically to other teams. At the moment we are not perfectly in the position we would like, to be competitive to win the first races straight away. But we are working hard, the season is long, and the main issue is not to be too far off. This is very difficult to judge right now, what is the real picture.” Michael Schumacher
  
• “For me the age doesn’t matter. I don’t feel like what it says on my passport. The guys I am around with, with most of them I still feel like it’s the good old days. It’s no different for me. It’s the challenge of driving the car, fighting with the other guys and going wheel-to-wheel. It’s a specific thing, it’s difficult to put in words.” Michael Schumacher
  
• “We are working very well together. It has taken very little time to work with the team and get on with everybody, they are very good guys. It’s very professional and a good atmosphere. But we have to prove ourselves on track, testing is one thing racing is another thing.” Michael Schumacher
  

Renault – Barcelona Test Session, Day 3

The Renault F1 Team completed a third day of testing in Barcelona with Vitaly Petrov.

Circuit: Barcelona

Length: 4.6 km

Driver: Vitaly Petrov

Chassis: R30-03

Total Laps: 68 laps

Fastest Lap: 1:22.523

Summary of the day: Light rain showers in the morning limited Vitaly’s track time, but the afternoon remained dry allowing the team to complete qualifying simulations and long runs.

Vitaly Petrov: “Another day of changing weather so we lost some time in the morning with the rain, but fortunately it was dry in the afternoon. We had a lot planned as it was my last day in the car before Bahrain and we did some good work and we’ve improved the car quite a bit. The qualifying simulation was useful and it was important I did this before the first race.”

Alan Permane, Chief Engineer: “It was a better day for Vitaly. We had a few issues with the car in the morning that we carried over from yesterday, but we very quickly got on top of them. The car was then much to his liking just before lunch. Unfortunately we had a little bit of rain again this morning, but managed some work in the afternoon carrying various fuel loads and Vitaly finished the day quite happy with the car. It’s a shame that he couldn’t have run a bit more today, but it was good to get a decent day of running.”

Barcelona Test Schedule:
Sunday 28 February: Robert Kubica

Renault – Barcelona Test Session, Day 2

The Renault F1 Team continued testing at the Circuit de Catalunya today with Robert Kubica in the R30.

Circuit: Barcelona

Length: 4.6 km

Driver: Robert Kubica

Chassis: R30-03

Total Laps: 53 laps

Fastest Lap: 1:24.912

Summary of the day: Another sunny day gave good conditions for testing. The team spent the morning focussed on shorter runs and set-up work, but ran limited laps in the afternoon.

Robert Kubica: “It’s frustrating to lose track time this afternoon because of a problem with the suspension, but I’m sure the team will get on top of the issue so that we can have a good weekend. We have some new aero parts coming for the car on Saturday and Sunday, which will help improve the pace of the car.”

Alan Permane, Chief Engineer: “Robert was in the car today for his first laps at Barcelona in the R30. We spent the morning doing some set-up work, but in the afternoon we had a problem with the suspension, which limited our running. We’re still looking into the issue and will have the car fixed and ready for tomorrow morning.”

Barcelona Test Schedule 27-28 February:
Saturday 27 February: Vitaly Petrov
Sunday 28 February: Robert Kubica

25-Feb-10: Webber Leads Day One of Barcelona Testing

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It’s the 25th February 2010 and this is F1 Minute.

Mark Webber put the first marker on the board for the initial day of testing in Barcelona. The Red Bull driver was about a second faster than next placed man Hulkenberg, with Rosberg behind for Mercedes. At the other end of the time sheets, Fauzy for Lotus, and di Grassi just above for Virgin Racing. di Grassi had a big crash just before lunchtime, causing a red flag, but more importantly, stopping the team from any more running. Technical director Nick Wirth said: “We’re going to need to spend the time before tomorrow replacing some broken suspension and wings. We should be back on track tomorrow morning when we hope to really start building up our mileage.”

Meanwhile, Robert Kubica has been discussing the atmosphere at Renault with Autosport, and he says: “I have found what I was looking for – a motivated team that is really nice to work with. I’ve got back something of the feeling like it was 10 years ago when I was in karting. Everything is much easier, it’s not as stressful, not as strict.” Well, he almost sounds happy!

That’s all for now, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

Renault – Barcelona Test Session, Day 1

The Renault F1 Team started its final pre-season test session in Barcelona today with Vitaly Petrov behind the wheel of the R30.

Circuit: Barcelona

Length: 4.6 km

Driver: Vitaly Petrov

Chassis: R30-03

Total Laps: 74 laps

Fastest Lap: 1:24.173

Summary of the day: Bright conditions in Barcelona allowed the team to complete a busy day of work. The programme included practice pit stops in the morning and set-up work in the afternoon.

Vitaly Petrov: “The track conditions were pretty good today and it was nice not to have to drive in the rain! The day went quite well and we did a lot of pit-stop practice to begin with and then some set-up work, which was useful.”

Alan Permane, Chief Engineer: “We spent part of the morning doing pit-stop practice with Vitaly, which went very well. This was the first chance for our pit crew to practice with a running car at the circuit without refuelling and there were no procedural problems. Unfortunately we had a hydraulic problem in the early afternoon, which meant we had to change part of the hydraulic system and that limited our running. But we were still able to do some set-up work as we concentrated on getting Vitaly comfortable in the car on this circuit.”

Barcelona Test Schedule 26-28 February:
Friday 26 February: Robert Kubica
Saturday 27 February: Vitaly Petrov
Sunday 28 February: Robert Kubica

20-Feb-10: Button On Top for Final Jerez Test

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Welcome to F1 Minute for the 20th February 2010.

Jenson Button was the fastest man out on track today, in the final day of testing at Jerez. There was absolutely no rain at all today, which was a nice change for the teams, and meant lots and lots of laps for all. Kubica and Kobayashi were second and third with 117 laps apiece, whilst the most laps went to Alguersuari who completed 139. The fewest went to Glock who finished second from last with only 28 laps. Virgin Racing had more problems with their hydraulics, and Glock caused one of the day’s red flags. The others were from Webber and Kobayashi.

Whilst I’m here for this special F1 Minute, it’s worth noting the rumours of US F1. There has been a lot of talk that they were about to call it quits, although nothing official. Now co-owner Ken Anderson has confirmed that they are in talks with the FIA to be allowed to miss the first four races of the season. They are lacking in funding, and Anderson believes they could be ready for Barcelona.

That’s all for now, I will be back on Monday with another F1 Minute.

Renault – Jerez Test Session, Day 4

The Renault F1 Team completed its final day of work in Jerez with Robert Kubica behind the wheel of the R30.

Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera

Length: 4.4 km

Driver: Robert Kubica

Chassis: R3002

Total Laps: 117 laps

Fastest Lap: 1:19.114

Summary of the day: Dry and sunny conditions allowed the team to make good progress with its technical programme. After evaluation of fuel loads in the morning, attention switched to long runs in the afternoon along with set-up work. Robert completed 117 laps and set the second quickest time of the day.

Robert Kubica: “It was a good day and we tried a lot of different things, which has given us lots of useful information. To begin with we did some evaluation with different fuel loads to check the balance of the car and then in the afternoon we did long runs with heavy fuel to simulate a race distance. We completed most of the programme and I was pretty happy with the car.”

Alan Permane, Chief Engineer: “Another solid day of work as we made the most of the good weather. We ran the car with varying fuel loads this morning to see how it reacted and we were pleased with the results. Then we attempted a race simulation and, although it was interrupted, we still managed to cover the required number of laps. Later in the afternoon we concentrated on some set-up work and found a good direction with the car.”

Barcelona Test Schedule:
Thursday 25 February: Vitaly Petrov
Friday 26 February: Vitaly Petrov
Saturday 27 February: Robert Kubica
Sunday 28 February: Robert Kubica

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