Jerez Day 1: PM Test Times
02/07/12 Full lap times as of 3pm local time, on the opening day of the four-day F1 group test at Jerez in southern Spain.
1. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Lotus-Renault 1m 19.670s
2. Paul di Resta Britain Force India-Mercedes 1m 19.772s
3. Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 20.219s*
4. Daniel Ricciardo Australia Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 20.694s
5 Michael Schumacher Germany Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 20.794s*
6. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault 1m 20.917s
7. Kamui Kobayashi Japan Sauber-Ferrari 1m 21.353s
8 Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes 1m 21.952s
9 Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 22.815s
10. Heikki Kovalainen Finland Caterham-Renault 1m 23.178s
11. Pastor Maldonado Venezuela Williams-Renault 1m 23.371s
12. Pedro de la Rosa Spain HRT-Cosworth 1m 24.209s*
* 2011 car
Quotes
Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo: "It was really nice to be back in the cockpit for the first time since the Brazilian Grand Prix in November and being the first person to drive the STR7 was a little bonus. It was great to experience taking a completely new car out of the garage. We had a very productive morning, doing over 40 laps and we made good progress with our program. Then in the afternoon, we did a couple of longer runs, but had to cut it short, although we only lost an hour. I was using the Medium tire on that last run, having used Hard tires for the rest of the day. So, overall, a good start and I'm looking forward to another productive day tomorrow, because this car is very enjoyable to drive. It was a good feeling going fast again. It's too early to give a true assessment of the car, but out of the box this morning, it seemed balanced and quite stable. It gave me a good feeling when I put the power down."
Caterham's Heikki Kovalainen: "It's good to be back at work after the winter break and great to see how up for the season ahead the whole team are. We were first out on track this morning and the early feeling I had from the car was good. It's far too early to tell how much we've progressed but it already feels like we're going in the right direction. We obviously didn't want to end early today but we couldn't sort out the starter shaft issue in time to get back on track, but I'm reasonably pleased with what we have achieved today and I know the team will put in the work tonight to get us back out on track tomorrow and pick up where we left off today."
Williams' Pastor Maldonado: "It feels great to be back with the team and to start putting some mileage on the FW34. The car felt good and the systems were all working well this morning. I like the feel of the new Renault engine as well. It's still too early to make any predictions, but we are pushing hard and working to understand the car better."
Mercedes' Nico Rosberg: "We made a very good start to our testing program today and completed 56 laps this morning. I was driving the 2011 car, so it felt comfortable straightaway. We tested some different things in perfect weather conditions and started learning about the 2012 Pirelli tires and how they work. I was really happy to be out on track in my Mercedes and I know that, back at the factory, our development of the new car is running according to our plan."
Mercedes' Michael Schumacher: "After a long break, it feels terrific being back in the car and hitting the circuit again. Our main job was to get a first impression of the tires for 2012 and to start understanding them. They feel like a step forward, more consistent and comfortable to drive, and the biggest difference is with the rear tire. Thanks to everybody at Pirelli for their good job this winter. Let's see what we can learn tomorrow."
Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi: "I'm happy. The new car feels fine. We managed good mileage today despite a small problem in the morning session. Running today wasn't about performance but focused on checking systems and reliability. Nevertheless I got the impression the new Pirelli tires might be good for us. I am looking forward to the next tests and to further work on the car."
HRT's Pedro de la Rosa: "I really enjoyed myself today to be honest. I have to admit that I was a little bit nervous at the beginning of the day, because I barely knew anyone in the team or the car itself, but I'm very satisfied with how it went. Today the main thing was to do some mileage, not try things out, simply to get to know each other and I think the team did a great job. I felt very well surrounded, both by the mechanics and the engineers who worked with me. They all did a fantastic job. I want to insist on the work everyone did today because we were all new to the team. I think the sensations were positive for everyone".