22/06/2007
NEWS STORY
The Honda Racing F1 Team completed a three-day test at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain today. Opting to take advantage of the excellent weather conditions in Spain to complete their preparations for the forthcoming European races, the team focused on the evaluation of new mechanical and aerodynamic updates for the Honda RA107 car.
Christian Klien completed an installation day on Tuesday to shakedown a number of new mechanical parts. The circuit had relatively low grip due to a motorcycle event held over the weekend but the track surface did improve throughout the day. In addition to the shakedown running, Christian ran through various electronic controls settings along with race start simulations. He completed 77 laps.
Jenson Button was scheduled to take over the testing duties on Wednesday, however on arrival in Jerez he had not fully recovered from a slight back complaint, believed to have been caused during his first corner incident during the race at Indianapolis. The team took the decision to allow further time for recovery. Christian therefore completed a second day in the car with a more detailed evaluation of the aero and mechanical updates, covering 61 laps.
Jenson was sufficiently recovered to take over the car for the final day of the test. He concluded the team's planned programme for the week posting 122 laps during a positive day's running.
Jenson Button: "Today was a productive day. I completed 122 laps and every single one of them was useful. We were testing our new aero and mechanical parts and I believe it was a positive test. However we need to wait until we get to Magny Cours next week to see where we stand compared to the other teams."
Christian Klien: "A good test this week and it was especially valuable for me to have some extended time in the car. We worked mainly on the new updates and found some useful data. The weather was perfect for testing all week which was a big advantage in helping us to complete the planned programme."
Jacky Eeckelaert - Engineering Director: "Our test in Jerez went well this week. We had three days of good and stable weather conditions which enabled us to complete our programme. Our work was mainly focused around preparation for the next two races in Magny Cours and Silverstone, therefore we evaluated new mechanical parts along with front suspension and aerodynamic updates. Our initial conclusion is that the results from this week are positive and that we have seen a good correlation between the track data and the results from the wind tunnel. Therefore we expect to make a small step forward in performance at the next race."