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Hamilton ends Silverstone test on a high (with pictures)

NEWS STORY
26/06/2008

Just over a week ahead of the British Grand Prix, local hero Lewis Hamilton - on the final day of testing at Silverstone - sent out a clear message to his fans and his rivals, out-pacing the opposition by over half-a-second and posting the fastest time of the week.

For the Woking outfit, today was all about the final evaluation of new aero components ahead of next weekend's race, more mileage on mechanical parts and set-up work. The Englishman completed 88 laps on his way to posting a best time of 1:19.170. Furthermore, in a further morale boost for British race fans, there were no major problems during the three days of the test.

Timo Glock took the wheel of the TF108 for Toyota, completing the team's work on aerodynamics and set-up for next week's GP. The weather was kind and the circuit stayed dry but the German's morning was interrupted when he lost his rear wing in a collision with David Coulthard's Red Bull. That caused a two-hour pause while the team carried out a precautionary rebuild of the TF108's rear end. During the afternoon Glock worked on tyre comparisons in preparation for the race, setting the second fastest time.

"That was a good day's testing for us," said Glock. "The wind made it quite tricky because it was quite inconsistent but in the end we collected some important data and we are happy with the car. We had a problem this morning when I had a collision with David Coulthard. It was a misunderstanding - when I turned in at the end of the Hangar Straight David was there. I just didn't see him so I apologise for that. The mechanics did a really good job to get the car back into shape and they worked hard all day because we had a lot to do. We've made a good step in the last couple of weeks and the last two results have given the team a boost. Now we have to keep up the form at Silverstone next week."

"This was another positive day," added Gerd Pfeiffer, "despite the fact that we lost running time this morning after Timo's collision with Coulthard. Timo lost his rear wing in the impact and we rebuilt the rear end of his car as a precaution. He returned to the track before lunch and the afternoon was more productive as we carried out further set-up and tyre comparison work for next week's British Grand Prix. Overall this test has been successful and we have made some useful progress. Now the team can head into the race with confidence."

For Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen was at the wheel of the F2008, taking over from Felipe Massa. The Finn continued with the work initiated over the past couple of days, focussing mainly on the development of new aerodynamic and mechanical solutions, as well as research into the best set up for the car for next weekend's race.

"I am pleased with the way testing went," said the World Champion. "Obviously it is far too early to say where we can be on this track compared to our main rivals, but I can see no reason why we should not be competitive."

Fernando Alonso took over the cockpit of the R28 from Nelson Piquet, as Renault completed its final preparations ahead of next week's race. Despite the various (red flag) interruptions, including a suspected engine problem for the two-time World Champion, the team was able to get through its scheduled programme as Alonso worked on improving the balance of the car and general set-up work.

"It was a good day's work," said the Spaniard. "We spent the day working on improving the set-up of the car to be ready for the race next week and all the changes that we made took us in the right direction. By the end of the day I was much happier with the car. However, the track conditions were quite difficult as it was windy here today, but that is what you get at Silverstone, and we will have to cope with this in the race. It was also quite cool and I think it may be hotter for the race next week, but we are as well prepared as we can be."

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