10/01/2006
NEWS STORY
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Testing for the 2006 season began in earnest today, as four teams - Ferrari, Renault, Toyota and Red Bull - kicked off a test at Jerez which will see nine teams running over the next ten days.
Michael Schumacher, at the wheel of an F2004 fitted with a V8 engine, concentrated on development work, while teammate, Luca Badoer focussed on a tyre programme, driving an F2005 fitted with a restricted V10.
Schumacher was 1.3s quicker than his nearest challenger, Toyota's Ricardo Zonta, on a day when the German's manager had hinted at a possible switch to the Japanese manufacturer for the seven-time World Champion.
Zonta was joined by Ralf Schumacher, on a day when both drivers experienced problems. The Brazilian span off in the early afternoon, while the German lost track-time following a technical failure.
"Today was a good start to the New Year," said Dieter Gass, the Japanese team's chief race engineer. "We covered most of the programme even though we had a small delay with Ricardo's spin. We learned something new with the tyres. The Bridgestones demand a different set-up direction and that was largely what we were working on with Ralf's car.
"There was a small wiring loom problem at the end of the day on that car, but nothing serious. We have continued working in the same direction as at the pre-Christmas tests and our findings are positive."
Although 2005 World Champion, Fernando Alonso, was on duty, the main focus of interest was in the adjacent garage, where teammate Giancarlo Fisichella took possession of the new Renault R26, which was making its track debut.
The new car completed its first installation lap at 09:10 with the Italian at the wheel, prior to undergoing initial checks. More exploratory work followed, gradually building up the length of the runs in order to complete mileage with the new car. Inevitably, running was punctuated by lengthy checks to on-board systems and components, with the team going about its initial programme in a prudent manner. The day also saw the track debut of the RS26 V8 engine on track, which ran without incident as it completed nearly 200km.
Driving last year's R25, Alonso's programme got off to a slow start as cold temperatures prevented useful running. He then concentrated on brake development throughout the afternoon.
"We had a very promising first day with the R26," said Fisichella. "I felt comfortable straight away, and the programme was to do as much mileage as possible, while proceeding with all the checks you have to do on a new car. This wasn't a day to go for lap-times, and it was hard to get the tyres working in the cold temperatures. The V8 engine felt very good, similar to our predictions and it was reliable for the first run. My first impression is that this is a car with a lot of potential."
"Today was the first milestone on the road to the opening race of the season in Bahrain," added Chassis Technical Director, Bob Bell. "The R26 project has put everybody in the team to the test over the winter, and they delivered today when the car ran on time, on the day we planned nearly a year ago. After our initial installation laps, our work proceeded smoothly. As with any new car, there were some minor issues to resolve, but we did not encounter any major problems and gradually began completing some longer runs. The purpose of the day was very simple: to put miles on the new package.
"From what Giancarlo could tell, the car is responding in the same way as the R25 - which is in line with our predictions, and our objectives. The engine's first track test went very smoothly, and the V8 was behaving normally as it completed nearly 200km. All in all, it was a pleasing opening day of testing with the new car."
Also on duty was David Coulthard, giving the Red Bull RB2 its first serious outing. However, a number of technical problems meant the Scot only completed 31 laps, and finished almost 4s off the pace.
"It was something of a scrappy day," admitted Technical Director Mark Smith. "Our priority today had been to see if we had solved the cooling problem we encountered at Silverstone and the short answer is that we have not.
"However, it did not prevent us from running. We went for the short term fix of additional holes in the bodywork, and we were able to begin work on seeing how the new car reacts to set-up changes, while also embarking on a tyre test programme that takes into account the fact we will once again be able to change tyres during the races this season."
Five more teams join the test tomorrow (Wednesday).
Weather
Air temperature: 4-16 C
Track temperature: 5-21 C.
Partially cloudy
To check out our Jerez test picture gallery, click here