27/01/2006
NEWS STORY
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Further to our previous report, the continuing poor weather conditions at Barcelona have meant that the teams have opted to pack up and head to Valencia.
"We wanted to continue more running today, but the weather made it impossible," said Fernando Alonso, "it was too cold to run safely.
"Even so, we have had a very good week," he added, "the reliability of the car was very strong, and I think the pace was there. We focused on tyre development and long runs, as we get to know the car. The feeling I have is promising, and I am looking forward to getting back behind the wheel next week in Valencia."
"I think this has been a very good week for us," added Giancarlo Fisichella. "I had a couple of problems yesterday, but nothing unusual for winter testing. Overall, I am very happy after these first weeks of testing with the car. At the wheel, it feels quick and stable, and we made some promising steps forward with Michelin this week on the tyre development. I think we are in good shape at the moment, although it is still too early to have an accurate feeling for the competition."
Kimi Raikkonen was scheduled to be driving the McLaren MP4-21 today, however he will return to testing duties on Tuesday and Wednesday in Valencia.
When the track opened at 09:00, the temperature was only just above freezing and the overnight rain and snow meant the track was wet. The weather progressively got worse during the morning, with more light snow falling and sleet on the ground.
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