Lotus F1 have been the team to beat for the last two day's in Barcelona however that is likely to change tomorrow morning, with the news that reigning champion's RedBull Racing have sent a 'new chassis' not just new parts but a whole new car to Barcelona in time for tomorrow morning's 9AM start.
Sebastian Vettel finished today's session in third place and the team decided that they would bring a new chassis to the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain. So watch this space to see how RBR do over the final two day's of preseson testing.
Friday, 2 March 2012
Grosjean stays top on Day 2
It was another great day for the Lotus team today as for the second day in a row Romain Grosjean was the fastest driver by the end of the session. Grosjean completed a total of 123 laps and ended the day with a time of 1m 22.614s. The Frenchman was just over half a second faster then second placed Jean Eric Vergne. Reigning champion Sebastian Vettel was 3rd fastest.
The major surprise of the day came as Caterham's Heikki Kovailanen finished the day 5th overall completing 124 laps. For the first time in preseason testing for 2012 a team ran two car's on the same team. Williams ran both their driver's Bruno Senna and Pastor Maldonado. Unfortunately for Williams both driver's were 9th and 10th out of ten drivers. However this doesn't mean much in preseason testing.
As I mentioned earlier this week the biggest test for the team's will come during Friday Practice One for the Australian GrandPrix on 16th March.
Testing continues tomorrow when Kimi Raikkonen takes over from Romain Grosjean for the final two day's of 2012 preseason testing. The Lotus team will be hoping that the Iceman can continue where Grosjean left off by being fastest on Saturday and Sunday. It would be the perfect way for the team finish preseason testing after they missed the entire test session in Barcelona last week.
Next Sunday 11th March from 8 - 9PM Kimi will attempt to become the fastest F1 driver around the Top Gear test track as he is the Star in the Reasonably Priced Car for the season finale of the popular TV series.
The major surprise of the day came as Caterham's Heikki Kovailanen finished the day 5th overall completing 124 laps. For the first time in preseason testing for 2012 a team ran two car's on the same team. Williams ran both their driver's Bruno Senna and Pastor Maldonado. Unfortunately for Williams both driver's were 9th and 10th out of ten drivers. However this doesn't mean much in preseason testing.
As I mentioned earlier this week the biggest test for the team's will come during Friday Practice One for the Australian GrandPrix on 16th March.
Testing continues tomorrow when Kimi Raikkonen takes over from Romain Grosjean for the final two day's of 2012 preseason testing. The Lotus team will be hoping that the Iceman can continue where Grosjean left off by being fastest on Saturday and Sunday. It would be the perfect way for the team finish preseason testing after they missed the entire test session in Barcelona last week.
Next Sunday 11th March from 8 - 9PM Kimi will attempt to become the fastest F1 driver around the Top Gear test track as he is the Star in the Reasonably Priced Car for the season finale of the popular TV series.
Vergne fastest on second morning as Lotus continue to improve
Toro Rosso once agin showed that they are quick as F1 newcomer Jean Eric Vergne was fastest for the team in this morning's test session. The Frenchman completed completed 31 laps with a fastest time of 1m 23.126s to finish just ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. It was another strong performance from the Lotus team as Romain Grosjean secured the 3rd fastest time.
Testing resumes after lunch and as usual I will have a full round-up of today's action this evening.
Testing resumes after lunch and as usual I will have a full round-up of today's action this evening.
Williams steps down from team Board
The Williams F1 team announced this morning that team co-founder Sir Frank Williams is stepping from the team's board of directors. The team have been quick to point out however that Frank is not retiring from Formula One as he will stay on as team principal.
The news comes as little surprise as Patrick Head, the former technical director of the team resigns from the board of directors and called time on his long F1 career last year to concentrate on Williams Hybrid Energy business.
The team also announced today that Frank Williams daughter Claire will take up a position on the board of management as director of Marketing and Communications taking over from Dominic Reilly who will leave the team at the end of March.
The changes at Williams come on the foot of the team's worst ever F1 campaign in 2011 as they only managed to score 5 points in 19 races. The team have moved quickly to ensure that they don't have a repeat performance in 2012 by recruiting Bruno Senna to drive alongside Paster Maldonado. The team also have a new engine supplier for 2012 as Renault take over from Cosworth at the Grove based team. And finally the team has hired ex McLaren chief designer Mike Coghlan who was at the centre of the sports spy scandal in 2007, to head up the team's technical department.
Hopefully with the change's that the team have made for 2012 they will be able to return to a position in which they are regularly scoring points. The team's last world championship win came in 1997. I believe that the team have done a fantastic job in bringing in Bruno Senna as he is an extremely talented driver as he proved last season when he drove for Lotus Renault.
Time will tell if the changes that been made have been affective or not.
The news comes as little surprise as Patrick Head, the former technical director of the team resigns from the board of directors and called time on his long F1 career last year to concentrate on Williams Hybrid Energy business.
The team also announced today that Frank Williams daughter Claire will take up a position on the board of management as director of Marketing and Communications taking over from Dominic Reilly who will leave the team at the end of March.
The changes at Williams come on the foot of the team's worst ever F1 campaign in 2011 as they only managed to score 5 points in 19 races. The team have moved quickly to ensure that they don't have a repeat performance in 2012 by recruiting Bruno Senna to drive alongside Paster Maldonado. The team also have a new engine supplier for 2012 as Renault take over from Cosworth at the Grove based team. And finally the team has hired ex McLaren chief designer Mike Coghlan who was at the centre of the sports spy scandal in 2007, to head up the team's technical department.
Hopefully with the change's that the team have made for 2012 they will be able to return to a position in which they are regularly scoring points. The team's last world championship win came in 1997. I believe that the team have done a fantastic job in bringing in Bruno Senna as he is an extremely talented driver as he proved last season when he drove for Lotus Renault.
Time will tell if the changes that been made have been affective or not.
Thursday, 1 March 2012
Returning Lotus fastest on Day 1
It was a great return to preseason testing for Lotus F1 as Romain Grosjean topped the timesheet's on the opening day of the final preseason testing in Barcelona. The team were forced to miss all of last week's session in Barcelona due to a chassis problem however that was put behind them today as the team's hard work paid of. Romain completed 73 lap's setting a fastest time of 1m 23.252s.
The Frenchman was two tenths of a second faster then Jenson Button in second. In today's session the team's were again extremely close as 2.3 seconds separated Romain Grodjean from Pastor Maldonado who was in 10th place for Williams.
Nico Rosberg won the prize for most laps the German completed 128 laps of the Circuit Du Catalunya to finish the day 5th fastest. Once again I have been very pleasantly surprised by the pace that Toro Rosso and Lotus have shown throughout testing. I have also been shocked by Ferrari's apparent lack of performance Felipe Massa finished the day in 8th place. I know not to read too much into preseason testing times as we don't know what the team's are trying out.
The real test for the team's will come in just over two week's time when on track action gets underway for the Australian GrandPrix.
Testing at Barcelona continues tomorrow.
The Frenchman was two tenths of a second faster then Jenson Button in second. In today's session the team's were again extremely close as 2.3 seconds separated Romain Grodjean from Pastor Maldonado who was in 10th place for Williams.
Nico Rosberg won the prize for most laps the German completed 128 laps of the Circuit Du Catalunya to finish the day 5th fastest. Once again I have been very pleasantly surprised by the pace that Toro Rosso and Lotus have shown throughout testing. I have also been shocked by Ferrari's apparent lack of performance Felipe Massa finished the day in 8th place. I know not to read too much into preseason testing times as we don't know what the team's are trying out.
The real test for the team's will come in just over two week's time when on track action gets underway for the Australian GrandPrix.
Testing at Barcelona continues tomorrow.
Barichello joins Kanaan at KVRacing for 2012
KVRacing
announced today that they have signed Brazilian ex-F1 driver Rubens Barrichello
for the 2012 IndyCar season. The Brazilian joins countryman and IndyCar veteran
Tony Kanaan along with EJ Viso at the team.
Barrichello, became
the most experienced F1 driver in the sport’s history and has raced for Jordan,
Stewart, Ferrari, BAR- Honda, Honda, Brawn and Williams. He endured an
extremely tough final season in Formula One in 2011 with the Williams team a
season which saw the former chamionship winning team only score 5 points. It
was the team’s worst performance in it’s history.
Barrichello has
signed up to compete in the entire 2012 Indycar season. This also includes the
2012 Indianapolis 500. He joins a long list of ex F1 driver’s to make the
switch to America’s premium single seater motor racing category. Other F1
driver’s to compete in IndyCar include, Mario Andretti, his son Michael, Justin
Wilson, Juan Paoblo Montoya, Jacques Villenuve and Nigel Mansell who famously
left F1 after winning the 1992 F1 championship to compete in IndyCar before
returning to F1 in 1994 temporarily taking over the Williams car following the
tragic death of Ayrton Senna.
Barrichello
tested for KVRacing, Technology last month and was instantly quick, setting
competitive times from the word go. In fact he faster then Tony Kanaan during
testing, as the team testing their new chassis the DW12 that is new to the IZOD
IndyCar Series for 2012.
Morning update: Button fastest
Today sees F1 roar back into action for the final preseason test in Barcelona in Spain before the team's head to Melbourne, Australia for the first race of the season in just over two week's time. This week's test is crucial for the Lotus F1 team after they missed all of last week's session. So far this morning Romain Grosjean has put in solid time's and currently lies in 5th place. The Frenchman has so completed 29 laps with a fastest time of 1m 24.232s.
McLaren's Jenson Button is the current pace setter. Robert Perez is 2nd, with Mark Webber is 3rd. Ferrari have had a sluggish start to the day as Felipe Massa currently lies 7th for Ferrari while Nico Rosberg is 8th.
As the team's break for lunch Romain Grosjean has moved from 5th to 3rd and has completed 37 lap's so far today. I will have a full update on today's running this evening.
McLaren's Jenson Button is the current pace setter. Robert Perez is 2nd, with Mark Webber is 3rd. Ferrari have had a sluggish start to the day as Felipe Massa currently lies 7th for Ferrari while Nico Rosberg is 8th.
As the team's break for lunch Romain Grosjean has moved from 5th to 3rd and has completed 37 lap's so far today. I will have a full update on today's running this evening.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)