Official 2008/2009 Winter Testing Thread

Barca Day one:
Code:
[B]Times[/B]
01  T. Sato Toro Rosso  01:20.763 121 laps
02  S. Buemi Toro Rosso  01:21.071 117 laps
03  A. Wurz Honda  01:21.198 77 laps
04  P. de la Rosa McLaren  01:21.417 65 laps
05  G. Paffett McLaren  01:21.956 78 laps
06  L. Badoer Ferrari  01:22.038 94 laps
07  R. Kubica BMW  01:22.341 56 laps
08  S. Loeb Red Bull  01:22.003 82 laps
09  N. Piquet jr. Renault  01:22.560 80 laps
10  C. Klien BMW  01:22.883 53 laps
11  N. Hulkenberg Williams  01:23.794 86 laps
12  V. Liuzzi Force India F1  01:23.794 86 laps
13  A. Sutil Force India F1  01:23.832 88 laps
14  M. Gené Ferrari  01:24.177 32 laps
15  B. Senna Honda  01:24.343 39 laps
16  G. van der Garde Renault  01:24.908 32 laps
17  L. Di Grassi Honda  01:25.512 48 laps
Barca Day Two:

Code:
[B]Times[/B]
01  S. Vettel Red Bull  01:19.751 70 laps
02  T. Sato Toro Rosso  01:20.017 79 laps
03  S. Bourdais Toro Rosso  01:20.034 48 laps
04  S. Buemi Toro Rosso  01:20.223 99 laps
05  G. Paffett McLaren  01:21.340 77 laps
06  R. Kubica BMW  01:21.521 76 laps
07  N. Rosberg Williams  01:21.525 113 laps
08  J. Button Honda  01:21.770 110 laps
09  A. Sutil Force India F1  01:22.073 59 laps
10  L. Di Grassi Honda  01:22.283 110 laps
11  N. Piquet jr. Renault  01:22.348 85 laps
12  L. Badoer Ferrari  01:22.425 127 laps
13  M. Gené Ferrari  01:22.772 31 laps
14  N. Heidfeld BMW  01:22.945 81 laps
15  G. van der Garde Renault  01:23.250 37 laps
16  P. de la Rosa Force India F1  01:23.499 86 laps

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Formula One teams returned to action on Tuesday for the start of their three-day pre-season winter testing programme in the south of Spain.

Proceedings started late due to fog and damp track conditions while late afternoon showers meant teams were forced to pack up a lot earlier than expected.

Toro Rosso, who were among the front-runners during testing in Barcelona at the end of last month, continued their impressive form.

Sebastien Buemi and Sebastien Bourdais who, along with former Super Aguri driver Takuma Sato, are vying for the two racing seats available at STR, did their chances of getting a contract no harm as they occupied the top two places.

Buemi, who looks to be a shoe-in for one of the STR seats, clocked a time of 01:18.742 around the Circuito Permanente de Jerez, although little can be read into the times as most teams are running different programmes and car specifications.

Team-mate Bourdais was five-tenths of a second slower while McLaren duo Gary Paffett and Pedro de La Rosa were running third and fourth respectively. Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who skipped testing in Barcelona last month, completed the top five.

BMW's Nick Heidfeld was pleased with how things went despite being only sixth fastest.

"Based on the results of the last test in Barcelona we changed the mechanical setup of the car," the German said. "It looks like we are moving in the right direction."



Spain 9th Dec:


Code:
[B]Times[/B]
01 S. Buemi Toro Rosso 01:18.742 91 laps
02 S. Bourdais Toro Rosso 01:19.288 77 laps
03 G. Paffett McLaren 01:20.134 26 laps
03 P. De La Rosa McLaren 01:20.164 21 laps
04 K. Raikkonen Ferrari 01:20.261 48 laps
05 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:20.678 49 laps
06 K. Nakajima Williams 01:21.338 57 laps
07 N. Piquet jr Renault 01:21.547 124 laps
08 C. Klien BMW 1:22.098 15 laps
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Buemi continues to impress in Jerez

Sebastien Buemi once again did his chances of securing a seat at Toro Rosso next season no harm on day two of testing in the south of Spain.

The Swiss driver, involved in a three-way shoot-out with Sebastien Bourdais and Takuma Sato for the two seats available at STR, clocked the fastest time of 1:18.073 around the Circuito Permanente de Jerez.

Former Super Aguri driver Sato was almost half a second slower than Buemi while Bourdais was fourth. McLaren's Pedro de la Rosa, whose MP4-23 sported a radical 2009-style front wing with a 2008 rear wing, was third.

2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkkonen completed the top five. The Finn, though, urged people not to read too much into the three-day test in Jerez.

"We haven't done many kilometres over these two days, because the conditions weren't really good," he said. "We're mainly trying to understand how the slicks work and we're testing some solutions the car will use in the upcoming season.

"It's useless to speculate about what will be in the future. Too many things are different on the cars on the track. To get a precise idea we have to wait until we all have the new cars."

BMW's Robert Kubica, meanwhile, drove a car fitted with KERS for the first time. However, his day came to a premature end when his car stopped halfway through testing with a mechanical problem.

Double World Champion Fernando Alonso and Ferrari's Felipe Massa made their return to the track on Wednesday and finished in seventh and tenth place respectively.

Code:
[B]Times[/B]
01 S. Buemi Toro Rosso 1:18.073 128 laps
02 T. Sato Toro Rosso 1:18.601 38 laps
03 P. De La Rosa McLaren 1:18.673 81 laps
04 S. Bourdais Toro Rosso 1:19.032 78 laps
05 K. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:19.334 89 laps
06 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:19.631 64 laps
07 F. Alonso Renault 1:19.907 106 laps
08 N. Rosberg Williams 1:20.309 122 laps
09 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:20.365 87 laps
10 F. Massa Ferrari 1:20.490 27 laps
11 R. Kubica BMW 1:20.954 38 laps
 
Seems like most of the top teams can ignore the rule changes looking at those pictures... Isn't it meant to be a single front wing with no extra aero aids on the sidepods?
 
Three out of three for Buemi

Toro Rosso hopeful Sebastien Buemi signed off the three-day pre-season winter testing programme in Jerez in style, finishing the final day on top.

The young Swiss driver, who also set the pace on Tuesday and Wednesday, clocked a time of 1:17.258 around the track to edge out STR test team-mate Takuma Sato by just two tenths of a second.

Buemi and Sato, along with Sebastien Bourdais, are set to find out in the next few days if they will be Toro Rosso's drivers for the 2009 Formula One season.

McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen, who concentrated on aerodynamic work on a car fitted with a 2009-configuration nose, was third fastest while Ferrari duo Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa completed the top five.

Double World Champion Fernando Alonso, who was sixth fastest, believes it was another productive session for his Renault team.

"It was a good day as we continued to add miles to the car and to understand the tyres," the Spaniard said after the session. "We maximised the time on the track and managed to do a lot of laps as well as some basic-set-up work.

"I have already been doing a lot of physical work to get ready for next year and so spending a couple of days in the car this week was another important part of my preparation and has helped me get back up to speed. I'm now looking forward to testing the new car in January."

Another three-day testing programme will take place at Jerez from Monday to Wednesday before teams go off on their Christmas break.

Code:
[B]Times[/B]
01 S. Buemi Toro Rosso 1:17.258 139 laps
02 T. Sato Toro Rosso 1:17.520 119 laps
03 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:18.049 96 laps
04 K. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:18.782 82 laps
05 F. Massa Ferrari 1:19.050 72 laps
06 F. Alonso Renault 1:19.319 124 laps
07 N. Rosberg Williams 1:19.388 130 laps
08 P. De La Rosa McLaren 1:19.499 47 laps
09 R. Kubica BMW 1:19.559 134 laps
10 C. Klien BMW 1:19.738 101 laps
PS:


James, most of the cars are not full 2009 cars yet, hopefully we will see the full 2009 cars soon, probably next year is most likely.
 
nice seeing slicks. looking forward to seeing the cars in final 2009 regs, lots of interesting changes coming. until they all are in the final stages of testing the times have to be taken with a pinch of salt. slicks look great... and before i go... did i say that the slicks make the car look great? :)
 
Date: Thursday December 11 2008
Drivers: Heikki Kovalainen & Pedro de la Rosa
Location: Circuito de Jerez
Track Configuration: -
Track Length: 4.428km
Weather: Completely dry. Extremely cold in the morning but warming up over the duration of the day.
Track temperature:
Air temperature:
Laps run today: 96 (Heikki, MP4-23A); 47 (Pedro, MP4-23K)
Laps run in total at test: 332 laps (47/142/143)
Kilometres covered today: 633km
Kilometres covered in total at test: 1470km (208/629/633)
Best lap time today: Heikki: 1m18.049 at 12:55pm
Best lap time of the test: Heikki: 1m18.049
Programme: Heikki switched to the MP4-23A and spent the final day successfully running through tyre work and aero mapping. Pedro stepped back into the MP4-23K KERS development car but his day’s mileage was limited by a number of small issues with the device. Next week, the test team will conduct a one-car programme at the new Portimao track in Portugal, primarily focusing on KERS work with the 23K and collecting data from the new venue.
Drivers for tomorrow: -
Duration of test: Three days (Dec 9-11 2008)
Next Test: Portimao, Portugal (Dec 15-17 2008)
 
Tuesday 16th December 2008

Sebastien Buemi continued his dominant streak during testing at Jerez on Tuesday, setting the pace for the fifth day in a row.

The Swiss driver was also quickest around the track last week when he was testing for Toro Rosso. On Monday he resumed his "normal" duties as Red Bull test driver and he picked up where he left off, and it was more of the same on Tuesday as his lap of 1:17.029 was once again the quickest.

"It's been a very good test so far, we've been improving with every lap, which is really good for next season and I'm happy," Buemi said.

"We're learning more about the slick tyres too, which is important. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and trying to improve myself more."

Sebastian Vettel made it a 1-2 for Red Bull on Tuesday as he finished just under 2/10th behind Buemi. The duo were followed by BMW's Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica while Williams' Kazuki Nakajima completed the top five.

Code:
[B]Jerez Times[/B]
01 S. Buemi Red Bull 1:17.029 83 laps
02 S. Vettel Red Bull 01:17.319 83 laps
03 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:19.303 85 laps
04 R. Kubica BMW 1:20.006 61 laps
05 K. Nakajima Williams 01:20.332 105 laps

[B]Algarve Times[/B]
01  P. De La Rosa McLaren 1:30.080 68 laps
02 L. Badoer Ferrari 1:31.320 71 laps
03 M. Gene Ferrari 1:33.076 51 laps


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday 17th December 2008


Sebastian Vettel finished a magnificent 2008 in fine style by setting the pace on the final day of the 2009 pre-season winter testing programme in the south of Spain.


The German had his best F1 season to date this year, claiming Toro Rosso's first pole position as well as their maiden grand prix victory and swapped STR for sister team Red Bull after the final race of the season in Brazil.

Vettel's 1:16.617 was the quickest around the Jerez track. His team-mate Sebastien Buemi - who has been dominating proceedings at Jerez after topping the timesheets last week as well as on Monday and Tuesday - was three tenths slower than Vettel in second place.

"We've had pretty smooth running at this test and have completed a lot of mileage before the end of the year," Vettel said.

"I think we've done everything we could here, learning about the tyres and next year's regulations and hopefully we will start next year with a car strong enough to challenge the big boys."


Code:
[B]Jerez Times[/B]
01 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:16.617 107 laps
02 S. Buemi Red Bull 1:16.998 92 laps
03 R. Kubica BMW 1:19.013 100 laps
04 C. Klien BMW 1:19.066 38 laps
05 K. Nakajima Williams 1:19.341 131 laps
 
Buemi's good form continues Hamilton Happy To Be Back In Action!

Lewis Hamilton has given a thumbs-up to his first return to the track in two months.


Hamilton's outing in testing at Portimao was his first since winning the World Championship, in rather nailbiting style, back in November. One notable difference from last year is that his new charger, the MP4-24, carries the number one on its nose, but for Hamilton the significance of the day was simply getting behind the wheel again.

"It was good to be back working with the team - it felt like I'd hardly been away because it was easy to slip back into the routine," Hamilton told Autosport.

"It's amazing to think that, while I've been to Woking throughout the winter, I haven't properly driven a Formula One car since the Brazilian Grand Prix two months ago, but everything very quickly felt normal today.

"This first test was all about just getting used to the new car and the new regulations and about giving my feedback to the engineers; it wasn't about setting a fast time.

It was, though, just a fleeting return to action for Hamilton with team-mate Heikki Kovalainen scheduled to drive the MP4-24 on Thursday.

The 24-year-old managed to get 81 laps under is belt during the test, clocking a fastest lap of 01:30.242, nearly three seconds slower than Sebastien Buemi, the quickest man on the day.

Dry times
Code:
1. Sebastien Buemi - 1.27:987 128 laps (TRACK RECORD)
2. Nico Rosberg - 1.29:729 - 143 laps
3. Lewis Hamilton - 1.30:242 - 81 laps
5. Timo Glock - 1.30:878 - 64 laps
4. Fernando Alonso - 1.31:743 - 85 laps
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