Virgin Racing – Barcelona Test – Day 1

Virgin Racing got down to business at its third and final pre-season test in Barcelona today. The dry and sunny conditions were in welcome contrast to the weather the teams experienced during the last two tests in Jerez and so Lucas di Grassi had been looking forward to getting some good mileage under his belt. There were a few smaller issues to contend with early this morning but then Lucas was finally able to take to the track in earnest. He completed 31 laps before a spin at turn nine brought an end to the day’s running and this meant he was unable to improve on his best time of the morning – a 1:27.057. The early conclusion spells a long night for the team as they replace damaged parts ready for Timo to join the programme tomorrow.

Nick Wirth, Technical Director of Virgin Racing, commented: “We are continuing to debug the car hydraulics and making good progress in our understanding of the issue. 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.”

BMW Sauber – Test in Valencia – Day 3

The BMW Sauber F1 Team has drawn quite a positive conclusion after the first three days of testing in Valencia with the new car for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. Along with the F1 teams, an impressive total of 59,100 spectators enjoyed the bright sunshine over the three days of testing.

Weather
Sunny all day, air 6-14 °C, track 7-19 °C

Circuit length
4.004 km

Driver
Pedro de la Rosa (ES)

Chassis / engine
BMW Sauber C29-01 / Ferrari

Kilometres today
320.320 km (80 laps)

Fastest lap
1:12.094 min

Pedro de la Rosa
“After the roll-out on Monday this was my second day of testing with the new car and I’m happy it was another positive one. We learned a lot about the set-up of the car with these tyres, and also about the direction we have to go in with our work for the future.”

Willy Rampf (Technical Director)
“We are quite satisfied with the first test. We did exactly 1001 km in total. As well as being reliable, it was important to see that the car responded to changes in the way we expected. The drivers’ comments on the car basically were in line with that, which also helps the team to work in the right direction. In the morning we lost around one and a half hours of track time because of an incident with another car. We had to change the floor, the front wing and the engine cover and to prioritise our programme afterwards. But still it was a good day on the track. Again we were lucky with the weather, which gave us very good and consistent track conditions.”

What comes next
This was the third and final day of the Valencia test.
The BMW Sauber F1 Team will be testing next in Jerez (10th to 13th February). For the first two days Kamui will be on duty, and Pedro for the last two.

Red Bull – Jerez Test, Day Three, December 3

Driver: Daniel Ricciardo
Car: RB5-02
Time: 1:17.418
Laps: 77

Circuit length: 4.423 km
Fastest Lap: See above

This was the final day of Formula 1 testing for 2009 and once again, Daniel Ricciardo was at the wheel of the RB5 in Jerez, where the past three days were restricted to drivers having competed in fewer than three Grands Prix.

Following on from the past two days, the team again worked on aerodynamic testing aimed at 2010, getting through its entire programme, even though track time was shortened by some light rain in the middle of the day. Ricciardo’s performance was impressive and in fact, his best lap today was the fastest recorded at the Jerez circuit this year.

“These last three days have been an incredible experience for me,” said Daniel, as he reluctantly stepped out of the cockpit. “I would like to thank Red Bull for giving me this great opportunity, which has made me even more determined to make it into Formula 1 one day. I know it was just a test, but seeing my name on the top of today’s timesheet was really something special.”

Bejeweled

French driver Jules Bianchi participates in GP2 testing at Paul Ricard. The 20 year old has been given the opportunity to test for Ferrari in the young driver test at Jerez in early December. Bianchi has previously won the Formula 3 Euro series, and is taking part in the Macau Grand Prix this weekend.

Credit: Drew Gibson/LAT Photographic

BMW Sauber F1 Team – Test in Barcelona – Day two

Weather conditions: Overcast with a damp track early in the morning, sunny for the rest of the day.
Temperature: Air: 11 – 20 °C, Track: 13 – 26 °C
Number of drivers participating: 10 from 10 teams
Fastest lap overall: Kimi Raikkönen (Scuderia Ferrari) 1:20.314 min
Circuit length: 4.655 km

Nick Heidfeld
Chassis / engine: BMW Sauber F1.09-04 / BMW 86/9
Test kilometres today: 578 (124 laps)
Fastest lap: 1:21.615 min

Programme:
The BMW Sauber F1 Team started the day with a race simulation. Nick Heidfeld completed a full race distance without any technical problems. To give the mechanics some valuable pre-season pit lane testing, the team practiced several pit stops and even simulated a stop-and-go penalty.

After that the team concentrated on the set-up of the BMW Sauber F1.09 and tried different aero solutions. At the end of the session Heidfeld did a couple of practice starts on the circuit’s main straight.

Nick Heidfeld said: “The race simulation was an important and valuable part of the final preparations for the Australian Grand Prix, which is in less than three weeks. It was the last test for me, I’m now looking forward to the season opener in Melbourne.”

What comes next:
Tomorrow Robert Kubica will take over at the wheel of the BMW Sauber F1.09. He will be on duty on Wednesday and Thursday.

Toyota – Bahrain Test – Day 1

Location: Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain
Driver: Timo Glock
Track length: 5.412km

SUNNY DELIGHT
Panasonic Toyota Racing today kicked off two weeks of scheduled testing in Bahrain. After the first test of the year was disrupted by rain in Portugal, the team has decamped to the Middle East in order to escape the harsh European winter. After a brief morning delay when the circuit was shrouded in fog, the local climate came into its own with a day of warm sunny weather. Timo Glock took full advantage, putting the TF109 through its paces and clocking up 82 laps of set-up work on the new car. Timo will return to the cockpit tomorrow as Toyota continues its preparations for the 2009 season.

Timo Glock – Chassis TF109-01
Best lap time: 1min 33.501s
Position: 1st
Total laps: 82
“After the weather intervened during our Portugal test, this was our first real chance to give the TF109 a run in dry conditions. The fog held us up briefly at the start but it wasn’t a major problem. We did a lot of set-up work and in the end we found a good direction. The car felt quite consistent so this is already a positive sign. We got through a lot of laps so this was an encouraging start to the test.”

Dieter Gass, Chief Engineer Race and Test
“This has already been a positive day and a good way to start our two weeks in Bahrain. It’s great to be here in nice weather and this circuit always has very good temperatures for a winter test. We were slightly delayed by fog early this morning but from then on we could run at significant temperatures. We did some aero work and evaluated different set-up options, learning what direction we have to take with the new car, new aero package and new tyres. We had no major problems and completed some useful work.”

BMW Sauber F1 Team – Test in Bahrain – Day one

Weather conditions: Heavy fog in the morning, sunny for the rest of the day.
Temperature: Air: 15 – 27 °C, Track: 17 – 35 °C
Number of drivers participating: 3 from 3 teams
Fastest lap overall: Timo Glock (Toyota) 1:33.501 min
Circuit length: 5.412 km

Robert Kubica
Chassis / engine: BMW Sauber F1.09-02 / BMW 86/9
Test kilometres today: 515 (95 laps)
Fastest lap: 1:33.702 min

Programme:
The start of today’s test session was delayed by nearly two hours due to poor visibility. Once the fog went away and the sun came out Robert Kubica worked on the set-up of the BMW Sauber F1.09. The team made good progress developing the new car, although just after the lunch break Kubica stopped out on the track due to a mechanical problem. He resumed testing after repairs had been made.

“It was the first time I was able to drive the new car in warm weather”, Kubica said after completing 95 laps. “We learned a lot about the car’s behaviour in these conditions, so overall it was a good day.”

What comes next:
This week’s testing in Bahrain will continue until Friday. Robert Kubica will be at the wheel of the BMW Sauber F1.09 again tomorrow and Thursday. On Friday Christian Klien will take over testing duties.

BMW Sauber F1 Team – Test in Jerez – Day two

Weather conditions: Sunny all day, too cold for testing early in the morning.
Temperature: Air: 3 – 15 °C, Track: 3 – 18 °C
Number of drivers participating: 5 from 3 teams
Fastest lap overall: Sébastien Buemi (Red Bull Racing) 1:17.029 min
Circuit length: 4.428 km

Robert Kubica
Chassis / engine: BMW Sauber F1.08B-03 / BMW 86/9 KERS
Test kilometres today: 271 km (61 laps)
Fastest lap: 1:20.006 min

Nick Heidfeld
Chassis / engine: BMW Sauber F1.08B-06 / BMW 86/9
Test kilometres today: 377 km (85 laps)
Fastest lap: 1:19.303 min

Programme:
The BMW Sauber F1 Team again ran two F1.08B interim cars that are based on the 2008 chassis with some of the bodywork from the 2009 regulations. While Nick Heidfeld used a conventional car, Robert Kubica continued the development work with BMW’s own KERS device. Both drivers started their test programmes nearly two hours late due to the cold morning temperatures.

After the sun had heated up the track, Heidfeld and Kubica worked on the set-up of their respective cars. The main goal again was collecting data in preparation for the 2009 season. Kubica concentrated on energy strategies while using the KERS system. Heidfeld evaluated different solutions for the mechanical set-up of the car, while the team collected more information on the new slick tyres. “After the delay in the morning the weather was nearly perfect, so overall it was a good day for me“, Heidfeld said after completing 85 laps. “I did short as well as long runs to compare tyre wear. At the end of the session I did some race start simulations, as this is also an area where we have to adjust to the slick tyres.”

What comes next:
The BMW Sauber F1 Team will continue testing in Jerez tomorrow. Robert Kubica and Christian Klien will be on duty.

BMW Sauber F1 Team – Test in Jerez – Day one

Weather conditions: Sunny all day, but very cold in the morning.
Temperature: Air: 4 – 12 °C, Track: 4 – 16 °C
Number of drivers participating: 5 from 3 teams
Fastest lap overall: Sébastien Buemi (Red Bull Racing) 1:17.704 min
Circuit length: 4.428 km

Nick Heidfeld
Chassis / engine: BMW Sauber F1.08B-06 / BMW 86/9
Test kilometres today: 333 km (75 laps)
Fastest lap: 1:19.360 min

Christian Klien
Chassis / engine: BMW Sauber F1.08B-03 / BMW 86/9 KERS
Test kilometres today: 417 km (94 laps)
Fastest lap: 1:19.655 min

Programme:
Today the BMW Sauber F1 Team had two interim cars in Jerez for testing duties, with both are based on the 2008 chassis and featuring some 2009 regulations’ body work. In addition, Christian Klien’s car was fitted with BMW’s own KERS device. Klein and Nick Heidfeld evaluated different set-up options in preparation for the 2009 season.

“We also did some tyre testing to learn more about the potential of the new slick tyres”, said Heidfeld. Around lunch time Nick Heidfeld’s car stopped out on the track when the telemetry data indicated a mechanical problem. After a precautionary engine change he was able resume his testing programme.
Klien’s F108B ran without any noteworthy problems. Completing 94 laps, he tried different configurations of the KERS system.

What comes next:
The last test session of 2008 will continue in Jerez for two more days. Tomorrow Nick Heidfeld will again be at the wheel of the BMW Sauber F1.08B, and will be joined by Robert Kubica. On Wednesday Robert Kubica and Christian Klien will be testing.

Honda to Give Bruno Senna his First Formula One Test

The Honda Racing F1 Team will give 2008 GP2 Series title contender Bruno Senna his first experience of a Formula One car in Barcelona later this month. Bruno will attend the team’s first winter test at the Circuit de Catalunya from Monday 17 to Wednesday 19 November where he will drive the Honda RA108 to enable the team to assess how Bruno has developed in his career to date.

The programme for Bruno will include an initial familiarisation with the car and its systems before progressing to a full programme during which the team will be evaluating his performance, technical skill and ability to work with a large team organisation.

Bruno, 25, has impressed in the British F3 Championship and GP2 since his first full season in junior motorsport formulae in 2005. He won two GP2 races in 2008 and finished second in the Series.

Ross Brawn, Team Principal of the Honda Racing F1 Team, said: “We are delighted to provide Bruno with the opportunity to test for us later this month as we continue to explore all the driver options available to us for next season. After an impressive year in GP2 this will be a chance for Bruno to prove that he is ready to make the step up to Formula One. Our objective is to have the best drivers available to us next season and our evaluation of Bruno’s performance will be rigorous. We are looking forward to seeing how he performs. Over the next two weeks Bruno will be spending a lot of time with us at our Brackley base, working closely with our engineers and on the simulator to ensure he is fully prepared for this important test.”

Bruno Senna said: “I am obviously very excited about being given my first Formula One test and to have that opportunity with Honda is a dream come true. Although I am still only in my fourth year of motor racing, I have wanted to test an F1 car for a very long time and I feel that I am ready for that challenge. I have already spent some time at the factory in Brackley and have enjoyed meeting the team and working with the engineers to prepare for this test. Everyone has been very supportive and it is particularly special for me to have the chance to work with Ross Brawn. I’m excited about getting in the car in two weeks’ time but I know this is a big opportunity so I want to learn as much as I can before I get to Barcelona. I hope to show the team what I can do, so it’s up to me now to do a good job.”

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