30/08/2006
NEWS STORY
With the organizers at Monza not providing their own timing system, teams are relying on their own, consequently the exact times, and finishing order, fluctuates from team to team.
That said, the general consensus of opinion is that Robert Kubica was quickest on the second day of testing, followed by Giancarlo Fisichella and Felipe Massa. However, according to BMW, it was Ricardo Zonta who was fastest, even though everyone else had the Brazilian over a second off the pace.
Kubica started the day adapting the set-up to his liking, followed by some aerodynamic evaluations, while teammate Nick Heidfeld worked on a tyre programme and tested new mechanical components. In the afternoon, both drivers completed a tyre programme. They carried out a range of short and long runs in preparation for next week's Italian Grand Prix.
Tomorrow, Sebastian Vettel will take over from Heidfeld, while Kubica will continue to drive. The main focus will be on tyre testing.
In spite of nearly ten red flags during the course of the day, Renault completed a busy programme of 198 laps with Fernando Alonso joining Giancarlo Fisichella.
Fisichella's second day of testing saw him continue the tyre programme he had commenced on Tuesday. He focused on his work with Michelin, and made the most of goods track conditions to conduct a productive programme. He worked on longer runs during the afternoon to evaluate the tyres' endurance, having looked at performance this morning and yesterday. The Italian was pleased with the results of the test, having finished second with a lap of 1:22.262.
Alonso's first day of testing saw the World Champion focus on chassis set-up in the morning to acclimatize himself to the unusual Monza circuit. After this, he worked on tyres as well, given that their performance will be a key performance factor in next week's race. He set fourth fastest time with a lap of 1:22.312.
"We did a big tyre programme," said Christian Silk, "and even though the circuit is still changing a lot, we are pleased with the results and with the direction we are moving in. This is important work for next week, especially because we don't often test at Monza and because this is the first test back after the summer break. We need another productive programme tomorrow, but this was a good day's work."
Fernando Alonso and Heikki Kovalainen will be in action tomorrow for the final day of testing.
Michael Schumacher joined yesterday's pace-setter, Felipe Massa, as Ferrari continued its preparations for its 'home' race. Both men worked on the tyre development for Bridgestone, in addition to finding the best set-up for the 248 F1. The German lost track-time in the morning, the result of a hydraulic problem, finishing sixth overall, while Massa was third quickest.
WilliamsF1 had Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber on duty, the German finishing fifth quickest, while the Australian settled for reliability, completing more laps (109) than asnyone else.
"Nico's first day was spent testing several brake cooling options, as well as getting used to the new aero package before starting the usual tyre tests," said test team manager, Mike Condliffe. "Mark concentrated on tyre and set-up work in the morning then finished the day with further tyre testing in the afternoon."
Jenson Button joined Rubens Barrichello for Honda. After a couple of acclimatisation runs, Button concentrated on finding a good balance in the car throughout the morning session in readiness for an intensive tyre programme. The Englishman began the tyre evaluation at the start of the afternoon, looking at the options for the next weekend. Despite continuous circuit red lights which interrupted running throughout the day, Jenson completed 107 laps in total.
Rubens also spent the morning session finding a good set-up, followed by a short tyre evaluation. He worked on tyre evaluations during the afternoon, alongside some electronics set-up work.
For Toyota, Jarno Trulli continued his tyre and set-up programme from yesterday, while third driver Ricardo Zonta joined today to begin his two day test programme in preparation for the coming race.
"Both drivers worked hard today on a tight schedule," said test team manager, Gerd Pfeiffer. "We collected some more data on our aero package and the driver's comments were very helpful in regards to finding the right set-up. There is still a lot we have to work on and although we have a full agenda for tomorrow, we can slowly make conclusions for the Grand Prix."
"We tested mostly tyre compounds and braking balance," said Trulli. "Unfortunately, we experienced an engine failure in the afternoon causing us to lose valuable time. The team worked hard to get my car back on the track and finally we were able to collect some more data for the race here next weekend."
"My car ran really reliably today," added Zonta. "We just lost a lot of time due to red flags and set-up work. It made for a long hard day sitting in the car but I think we have found out some interesting data about the Monza set-up and tyre compound alternatives. Tomorrow I will be concentrating on doing long runs to make the final tyre choice."
McLaren joined in the fun today, with Pedro de la Rosa and Gary Paffett in action for the Woking team. The Mercedes powered team focussed on testing Michelin compounds for the Italian Grand Prix, alongside assessment of the Monza wing packages. Paffett's engine failed around 16:30 this afternoon which ended his day prematurely.
Christijan Albers took over from Giorgio Mondini, as Midland again covered more than 400 km of test mileage. The Dutchman worked on general race set-up and a tyre programme, as well as some aero testing and control systems work.
Tiago Monteiro will replace Albers behind the wheel of the M16 for the final day of testing tomorrow.
Super Aguri continued with Sakon Yamamoto behind the wheel. The Japanese driver ran through the team's planned Italian Grand Prix preparation programme and completed a total of 67 laps. Takuma Sato will run in the SA06 tomorrow when he will conclude the test by completing the team's tyre programme.
"Sakon ran through a number of tyre options, the new Monza aero specification package and the normal brake testing required to run at this circuit," said Mark Preston. "I am generally happy with our progress and Takuma will drive tomorrow to continue our tyre testing programme and other set-up work. This is an important test for us as this is the first time that we have been able to properly prepare for a race. It is also the first time that Sakon has been able to run the SA06 new front suspension. We are looking forward to a productive final day tomorrow."
Red Bull had Christian Klien on duty, while Toro Rosso was represented by Tonio Liuzzi and Scott Speed.