11/01/2006
NEWS STORY
 |
McLaren's Pedro de la Rosa was the quickest driver at Jerez on the second day of testing, however, since the Spaniard was running with a V10 engine, it means that Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) was, once again, quickest of the V8 runners.
The Woking outfit had both de la Rosa and Gary Paffett on duty, however, although the team ran with the new Mercedes V8 powerplant at the end of 2005, it has reverted to the (restricted) V10, claiming that this was scheduled because; "engine production is focused on the FO108S V8 for the MP4-21, which has different mountings from the one used in the MP4-20B".
According to the team: "The V8 on track programme will be continued once the MP4-21 starts testing. By the end of the final test in December 2005, over 6,000kms had been covered by the V8 engine".
The programme for the day, which will continue over the remainder of the week until Saturday, focused on tyre development work with Michelin.
The Spaniard had a minor software problem on his initial installation lap, which was resolved immediately and he continued with his programme. Both cars ran for the rest of the day with no further electronic or mechanical issues.
Michael Schumacher, again at the wheel of a V8 powered F2004, concentrated on development work in collaboration with Shell, while Luca Badoer, driving an F2005, fitted with a regulated power V10 engine, continued with the Bridgestone tyre programme he had begun yesterday.
Both drivers now head off to the Dolomites to take part in Ferrari's annual press get together at Madonna di Campiglio. Therefore, tomorrow (Thursday), Marc Gene will alternate between the F2004 and F2005.
Third quickest was Ricardo Zonta, who was joined by Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli.
Fourth quickest was Fernando Alonso, while teammate, Giancarlo Fisichella continued with the R26.
At this early stage, the team's priority is simply to build mileage with the new chassis and engine package, without focusing on performance development. After completing several installation laps and short runs, Fisichella's programme therefore centred around long runs, which were only interrupted by red flags due to incidents involving other cars. His lap-times proved consistent, with both chassis and engine performing well.
In improved conditions relative to yesterday, with warmer track and ambient temperatures through much of the afternoon, Alonso completed an extensive tyre development programme with technical partner Michelin. Tomorrow, he will get his first taste of the R26 as Giancarlo takes over the tyre programme with last year's car.
"We had a slow start to the morning as we concentrated on installation laps and system checks," said Bob Bell, "but after these had been completed to our satisfaction, we continued building our mileage with the new car, culminating in two longer runs in the afternoon in spite of interruptions owing to red flags. These went very well, with Giancarlo's lap-times indicating the chassis is handling consistently while the V8 engine once again ran well.
"Fernando will take over with the car tomorrow, and our focus will remain the same: putting mileage on the package without focusing on performance. It is still very early in our programme with this car, but the first two days have provided a very positive foundation."
Splitting the two Renault cars was Nick Heidfeld, at the wheel of an all-white Sauber C24B. The German focussed on system checks and assessed various settings. He also worked with Michelin on a tyre programme, in addition to evaluating a new traction control system.
Nico Rosberg was the quicker of the two WilliamsF1 drivers on duty, Alexander Wurz making his debut for the Grove outfit.
Both drivers encountered problems during the course of the session, with the Austrian, in particular, losing vital track-time as a result of 'technical gremlins'.
"Today Alex started driving for WilliamsF1 and spent the morning working on systems checks before concentrating on set-up work in the afternoon," said Sam Michael. "Alex is a fantastic addition to the team and has fitted in well immediately. Meanwhile, Nico worked on set-ups and started some tyre testing for Bridgestone before experiencing a gearbox problem, caused by a high mileage component. Mark will be joining Nico tomorrow before Alex resumes testing on Friday."
Just twenty-four hours after confirming that he will remain with Honda for another season, Anthony Davidson was on duty, along with James Rossiter. Both drivers ran 'interim' cars fitted with the latest V8 powerplant.
Davidson worked through system checks in chassis 078-08 in the early part of the morning before going out on track in warmer conditions to run through basic set-up work and find a good balance in the car. He spent the afternoon session running through a tyre evaluation and completed his full test programme.
In chassis 078-07, James Rossiter also spent the early part of the morning in the garage completing system checks. Once out on track he ran through a front aero evaluation. He completed a further aero evaluation in the afternoon alongside a tyre programme.
Davidson will continue in chassis 078-08 tomorrow, with Rubens Barrichello joining the team for his first test. Barrichello will drive the 2005 chassis 007-06 before moving into chassis 078-07.
Tonio Liuzzi was on duty for Toro Rosso, which continues with the 2005 Red Bull car. As one would expect, the car ran reliably, allowing the Italian to complete 90 trouble-free laps.
"On the technical front, this was a busy day, as we were assessing 3 types of brake disc," said Chief Engineer, Laurent Mekies. "Tonio provided us with good and accurate feedback and we have a lot of data to analyse.
"This was pretty much a perfect start to our testing and Michelin should be complimented on providing us with tyres that, despite the cool weather, allowed us to run our brake programme," he added.
The Italian-based team continues testing here tomorrow, when Scott Speed takes over in the cockpit.
It was another 'difficult' day in the RB2 for David Coulthard. The team's second day of testing this year was effectively reduced to half a day, after the car required an unscheduled engine change in the morning.
"Along with our engine partner, we will of course be investigating what caused the engine to fail," said Head of Race and Test Engineering, Paul Monaghan, referring to the Ferrari powerplant. "We had a couple of new car gremlins that we addressed during the day, and with every run we're learning more about our new package."
Christian Klien takes over from Coulthard on Thursday and Friday.
Weather
Air temperature: 6-17 C
Track temperature: 7-24 C.
Partially cloudy
To check out our Jerez test picture gallery - featuring 192 pictures, click here