03/02/2008
NEWS STORY
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Red Bull's Mark Webber topped the timesheets on the final day at Barcelona.
With Williams having headed home on Saturday night there just thirteen drivers representing seven teams on duty. Once again, it was cold for much of the day, with rain showers in the late afternoon allowing most teams the opportunity to run with wet and intermediate tyres.
Webber was partnered once again by David Coulthard as the Austrian team focused on testing some new aerodynamic and mechanical items. Both drivers complete their planned development before the rain started falling at 15.30. After this time, the duo did limited wet running until the end of the session. In total, Webber and Coulthard completed 147 laps.
Chief Test Engineer, Ian Morgan, said: "It's been a very positive week, the car's been reliable and we've got through everything that we came here to do. It was encouraging to see Mark at the top of the timesheets today. We're looking forward to the team's next test in Jerez."
Behind Webber, were the two McLarens, with Heikki Kovalainen having the slight edge over Lewis Hamilton. Both drivers continued with their programme of tyre evaluation and reliability confirmation, in addition to aerodynamic and set up development work. The team also focused on longer runs with the MP4-23 package, with fewer red flag stoppages than on Friday and Saturday.
"Today we completed an intensive and productive session," said Martin Whitmarsh. "It is always interesting when we test here for the first time with a new car, as you have a comprehensive evaluation of the whole package.
"We have made some good progress and have gathered some useful intelligence this week, which we will take back to the McLaren Technology Centre and incorporate this into the development of the car in the 10 days until the next track test.
"This is a demanding time of year for the team, we ask a lot of every single member as we work to reach the level of competitiveness we want for Australia. The progress we are making is quantifiable and the drive within the team to continue to push remains high."
Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld continued work on the set-up of the BMW F1.08. The Pole's car ran without major problems, while the German encountered a minor technical issue in the morning session and made a precautionary stop on the track. When the car was back in the pits the team fixed the problem and Heidfeld resumed testing as scheduled.
Both drivers worked on adapting the set-up of the car to their driving style, and according to the German outfit, the three days of testing went as planned for the team. Both drivers tested different mechanical and aerodynamical solutions which put the development of the F1.08 significantly forward.
Although the test was affected overall by low temperatures and by the late rain, it gave the team the chance to run the F1.08 on intermediate and wet tyres for the first time.
For Renault, Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet continued to build on the work of the previous couple of days. Alonso concentrated on more set up work this morning and Piquet operated a similar set-up programme, as well as some long runs in the afternoon which were cut short by the rain.
"Today we concentrated on the basic set-up of the car and made good progress," said Alonso. "The track conditions improved over the three days and the temperature was ok because it stayed more or less consistent throughout the weekend. We were able to keep improving our understanding of the Bridgestone tyres, and also the new way of setting up the car with no traction control or engine breaking. Everyday I am happier with the car and these have been useful days here in Barcelona."
"We have had a good test and improved day-by-day," added Piquet. "Things got cut short a little bit early today because of the rain, but I was glad to have three days in the car. We spent the day working on set-up, and like yesterday I was able to cover lots of laps. This was only the second test with the new car and we are still getting used to it, and I am still getting used for Formula 1, but at the moment everything is positive.
"Today's programme was a continuation of the work we carried out over the previous couple of days," said Chief Test Engineer, Christian Silk, "and involved set-up work with both Nelson and Fernando. It was a useful day and we got a lot done, with just a minor problem at lunchtime. So, overall three good three days, and I'm happy with the way the cars have run."
Having topped the timesheets on Saturday, the result of a qualifying simulation, the Toro Rossos were a little further down the tables today - though both were within a second of the pace setter.
The two drivers swapped cars to better evaluate a new front suspension, and both gave positive feedback. The rain at the end of the day provided the opportunity to run on wet tyres.
"This has been another good test for us, during which we have completed over 2000 kilometres," said Chief Engineer, Laurent Mekies. "This shows we are moving in the right direction in terms of reliability. Our main objective for these three days was to subject the entire team to race weekend conditions and we went through the full programme from preparation to race, including pit stops."
It's interesting to note that the Top Ten were all within 0.847s of one another, which offers the prospect of some mouth-watering scraps this year, should they maintain the pace. However, once again the Honda's were at the wrong end of the timesheets, both over 1.4s off the pace.
Rubens Barrichello rejoined the team for the final day, running alongside team-mate Jenson Button. This morning, in a continuation of his day one programme, the Brazilian evaluated various set-up options, while his teammate's programme was based around some chassis set-up work over longer runs.
A mid-afternoon downpour cut short their dry running programmes, however the wet conditions enabled the team to gather some useful data as both drivers ran the car for the first time in cold and damp conditions without traction control.
"At our first proper test with the RA108 and with the benefit of two chassis, our focus has been on basic set-up work and reliability testing," said Steve Clark, Head of Race & Test Engineering. "We still have a lot of work to do on developing the set-up as the RA108 is so different aerodynamically to its predecessor that it is going to take some time over the next few tests to optimise the chassis settings. We are also still working to adapt to the new ECU and this has proved particularly difficult in the low-grip conditions we have experienced. These challenges have been reflected in our speed here, especially on single fast laps, although our long run consistency is a little better. Generally, the work we have achieved gives us a good basis for the next test in Jerez, where we will aim to further develop the car."
Splitting the Brackley cars was Adrian Sutil in the Force India.
While the majority of the teams will not test again until February 12, when they line-up in Jerez, Ferrari and Toyota will begin testing at Sakhir (Bahrain) tomorrow (Monday).
To check out our Barcelona test gallery, featuring over 150 pictures, click here