08/07/2008
NEWS STORY
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Less than 48-hours after Sunday's British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the ten F1 teams were back in action at Hockenheim, in remarkably similar weather conditions. While Sunday's race was affected by typical British summer weather, which saw strong winds and a number of short but heavy downpours, the first day of running at Hockenheim was similarly affected, though the wind was not as strong.
Silverstone winner Hamilton proved that Sunday's win was no fluke - that that such an idea has been suggested - completing 75 laps on his way to posting the fastest time of the day. On the Englishman's agenda today was the evaluation of new aero components including the first run of a top body dorsal fin which covered the engine. The team also focussed on suspension development and set-up work ahead of next weekend's race here.
Following its disappointing performance in Britain, Kimi Raikkonen was on track for Ferrari. The reigning World Champion's programme centred on set-up work in preparation for next week and included the evaluation of new aerodynamic and mechanical components.
Having missed out on a points finish at the weekend, Nico Rosberg was Williams representative today as the Grove outfit concentrated on set-up work in preparation for next weekend.
"The rain interrupted our progress a few times today," said Dickie Stanford, "but we still managed to record 87 laps in the dry. Tomorrow, we will finish our programme with Nico before Kazuki arrives for day three on Thursday."
Adrian Sutil, on duty for Force India in preparation for his home race, was fourth quickest, albeit over a second off Hamilton's pace. Work focussed on tuning the VJM01 for the challenges of the 4.574km track, with its long straights, tight chicanes and stadium complex. The team also continued to accumulate further data on the new aero and mechanical package raced for the first time at Silverstone.
Despite the weather conditions, the team completed its full programme with no major mechanical problems. Sutil will continue for the second day of the test tomorrow.
"It was quite a good day," said Sutil, "we could do lots of laps without any real problems. It was disturbed by the rain quite a bit but at least we did as much dry running as we could have done. We worked on set-up in the morning and I was quite happy with the car. In the afternoon it was more difficult, with the rain and then the wind picked up quite a lot and it was very difficult with the balance, but overall I am quite confident and feel very good. I like the circuit here - the last time I drove it was in 2005 in a Formula 3 car so I was really looking forward to the first go today with the F1 car. It's just amazing how quick it is. I think tomorrow we will have better weather, so conditions should be more consistent. We have a lot to test with some new parts, so all together working to improve the car."
"Today's programme very much followed on from the progress we made at the Silverstone test and British Grand Prix, "with the new aero and mechanical package," added Dominic Harlow, the team's chief race and test engineer. "In the morning, we used last weekend's set-up as a baseline and then worked on tuning it for the various challenges of the Hockenheimring. In the afternoon we worked through some reliability items and brake cooling and set-up and made some good, solid progress. Although the rain just before and after lunch and the high winds did slightly disrupt the programme and made it difficult to draw some conclusions, with no major mechanical problems over the day, we were able to complete 97 laps to set a strong basis for tomorrow where we will test some further aero parts."
According to Toro Rosso, it was a productive day for Sebastien Bourdais, as the Frenchman managed some long runs to compare the two types of dry weather tyre which will be available next week, as well as carrying out some aero tests centred on the front wing. Additionally, he ran tests on the fuel and brake systems.
For Toyota, third driver Kamui Kobayashi was at the wheel of the TF108, gaining more experience despite suffering some interruptions in the morning due to the weather. Timo Glock is scheduled to take over driving duties tomorrow, in preparation for his home Grand Prix, with Jarno Trulli concluding the test on Thursday.
"It is nice to drive the car at a circuit I know reasonably well," said Kobayashi. "I had a fourth place here in the F3 Euroseries and the test will also be good preparation for my GP2 race next week. We had quite a varied programme today and I did some brake comparisons as well as concentrating on collecting tyre and set-up data."
"The main aim of the day was data collection," added Test Team Manager, Gerd Pfeiffer. "We tried different suspension set-ups and carried out some brake comparisons. We also conducted some engine work and got positive results with everything we did - despite the weather."
Following his remarkable drive at Silverstone, Nick Heidfeld has caused a rush on tickets for next week's race, with fans hoping the BMW might score his maiden F1 win on home soil.
Today, Heidfeld worked on a basic setup for the F1.08 for the upcoming race, concentrating on suspension related solutions. He completed 59 laps on the way to posting the seventh best time of the day, 1.1s off Hamilton's pace.
Nelson Piquet was in the R28 for Renault. The Brazilian youngster made the most of the changeable weather to run in both dry and wet conditions as he concentrated on set-up work and general race preparation for next week's race. He will hand the R28 over to Fernando Alonso tomorrow as the Spaniard will complete the final two days of testing.
"We didn't manage to do as many laps as we could have with all the rain interruptions," said the Brazilian, "but overall it has been a positive day and it was nice to drive here in the week before the Grand Prix. It's quite a rewarding track to drive, and, even with the changeable track conditions, I was able to do quite a lot of work with the set-up of the car in preparation for the race next week."
"The weather was a bit inclement today as we had a few rain showers," added Christian Silk, "but the main test items were completed, which was pleasing. The car was reliable, and Nelson did a good day's work, which puts us in a good position for tomorrow when Fernando will be in the car."
After the misery of Silverstone, when he went off on the first lap, it was a frustrating time again for David Coulthard today. The Scot's programme included a suspension geometry evaluation and a first look at the two types of tyre that will be used in the Grand Prix which returns to Hockenheim after a one year break. Coulthard will be in the cockpit again tomorrow morning, when the weather is due to improve, before Mark Webber takes over in the afternoon.
Propping up the timesheets was Alex Wurz in the Honda, who caused the only red flag period of the day when he spun off in the wet. Unable to find space in the cab of the recovery vehicle, the Austrian had to sit in his Honda as it was brought back to the pits. "I had to get back in the f***ing car as there was no f***ing room in the cab," he moaned, much to the delight of his crew and onlookers. Following its remarkable podium finish on Sunday, the Japanese team tried a number of new aero solutions today.