12/12/2004
NEWS STORY
McLaren's Pedro de la Rosa dominated the final day of testing in 2004.
With Red Bull and WilliamsF1 having completed their 2004 programmes, only McLaren, Renault, BAR and Toyota stayed on for the final day.
Once again, the circuit was artificially soaked as Michelin tried out various wet tyres, concentrating mainly on intermediates.
de la Rosa, who believes that the French manufacturer is making serious improvements, as it attempts to close the gap to Bridgestone, completed 93 laps, out-pacing his nearest rival, Takuma Sato by over 2.5s.
That said, not too much should be read into the times as the track was 'flooded' to varying degrees throughout the day and it is almost impossible to make a direct comparison between drivers.
Also on duty were Renault, who had Franck Montagny on duty, and Toyota (Ricardo Zonta). However, the Japanese team experienced various technical problems, which compromised the Brazilian driver's track-time, while the French outfit packed up at lunchtime.
Testing resumes here on 10 January.