26/06/2008
NEWS STORY
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Just over a week ahead of the British Grand Prix, local hero Lewis Hamilton - on the final day of testing at Silverstone - sent out a clear message to his fans and his rivals, out-pacing the opposition by over half-a-second and posting the fastest time of the week.
For the Woking outfit, today was all about the final evaluation of new aero components ahead of next weekend's race, more mileage on mechanical parts and set-up work. The Englishman completed 88 laps on his way to posting a best time of 1:19.170. Furthermore, in a further morale boost for British race fans, there were no major problems during the three days of the test.
Timo Glock took the wheel of the TF108 for Toyota, completing the team's work on aerodynamics and set-up for next week's GP. The weather was kind and the circuit stayed dry but the German's morning was interrupted when he lost his rear wing in a collision with David Coulthard's Red Bull. That caused a two-hour pause while the team carried out a precautionary rebuild of the TF108's rear end. During the afternoon Glock worked on tyre comparisons in preparation for the race, setting the second fastest time.
"That was a good day's testing for us," said Glock. "The wind made it quite tricky because it was quite inconsistent but in the end we collected some important data and we are happy with the car. We had a problem this morning when I had a collision with David Coulthard. It was a misunderstanding - when I turned in at the end of the Hangar Straight David was there. I just didn't see him so I apologise for that. The mechanics did a really good job to get the car back into shape and they worked hard all day because we had a lot to do. We've made a good step in the last couple of weeks and the last two results have given the team a boost. Now we have to keep up the form at Silverstone next week."
"This was another positive day," added Gerd Pfeiffer, "despite the fact that we lost running time this morning after Timo's collision with Coulthard. Timo lost his rear wing in the impact and we rebuilt the rear end of his car as a precaution. He returned to the track before lunch and the afternoon was more productive as we carried out further set-up and tyre comparison work for next week's British Grand Prix. Overall this test has been successful and we have made some useful progress. Now the team can head into the race with confidence."
For Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen was at the wheel of the F2008, taking over from Felipe Massa. The Finn continued with the work initiated over the past couple of days, focussing mainly on the development of new aerodynamic and mechanical solutions, as well as research into the best set up for the car for next weekend's race.
"I am pleased with the way testing went," said the World Champion. "Obviously it is far too early to say where we can be on this track compared to our main rivals, but I can see no reason why we should not be competitive."
Fernando Alonso took over the cockpit of the R28 from Nelson Piquet, as Renault completed its final preparations ahead of next week's race. Despite the various (red flag) interruptions, including a suspected engine problem for the two-time World Champion, the team was able to get through its scheduled programme as Alonso worked on improving the balance of the car and general set-up work.
"It was a good day's work," said the Spaniard. "We spent the day working on improving the set-up of the car to be ready for the race next week and all the changes that we made took us in the right direction. By the end of the day I was much happier with the car. However, the track conditions were quite difficult as it was windy here today, but that is what you get at Silverstone, and we will have to cope with this in the race. It was also quite cool and I think it may be hotter for the race next week, but we are as well prepared as we can be."
"We lost some track time in the morning," added Christian Silk, "but the afternoon went well and so we were able to complete most of what we needed to. Again we concentrated on preparation for the Grand Prix to get the car well balanced and to Fernando's liking, and he was happy with the changes we made to the car. So it has been a good test, we've made a lot of progress and that puts us in a good position for the race next week."
Once again, BMW completed its programme ahead of schedule. Nick Heidfeld drove for the first time this week, working on set-up for the next Grands Prix, aerodynamics, scanning of different mechanical set-ups and tyres. The wind made the work on aerodynamics extremely difficult. However, the comparison work between the different tyre compounds went well, and the German team claims to have a good idea of what choice to make for the Silverstone race. In total the team has completed 242 laps of testing, which is 1,244 kilometres, over the three days.
Kazuki Nakajima took over from Nico Rosberg, the Japanese youngster completing 70 laps on his way to posting the sixth best time of the day, as the Grove outfit worked on different mechanical and aerodynamic set-ups. "Although it was quite windy, the weather was generally good over the three days," said Sam Michael. "We managed to cover the majority of our test programme in preparation for the Grand Prix."
Adrian Sutil rounded off Force India's test, the German continuing the team's programme of testing the complete new aero and mechanical package that will be introduced in next week's race, including the new 'shark fin' engine cover, wheel covers, bargeboards, diffuser and inerter damper.
Sutil covered 71 laps over the day, recording a best lap of 1: 21.331 despite the increasingly windy conditions. A brake disc failure just before the lunchtime break led to an excursion into the gravel trap at turn 11, however the car was back out again for further running in the afternoon.
"I think it was a useful day," said Sutil. "We did some good running and could do a lot of testing with the inerter damper, which was the main target of the day. It will take a little while to feel completely happy with it, but I definitely think there is potential there, we just need to understand how to get the most out of it as all day we had some problems with understeer that we just couldn't seem to get rid of. Aero-wise, I think we did a good step, the engine cover seems to work well and also the front wing. We've got more downforce now, so we need to put it all together, both mechanically and aerodynamically, and I think we will have a step forward for Silverstone next week."
"A fairly productive final day of testing," added Mike Gascoyne. "We again had a useful morning that confirmed some of the gains from the previous days' running. Unfortunately we had a brake disc failure that caused some down time in the garage, but overall we were able to get through our programme and evaluate the new parts, which seem to be working well. We can now look forward to the Grand Prix next weekend."
Rubens Barrichello took over at the wheel of the Honda RA108. After an initial installation run to ensure that he was comfortable with the set-up of the car and get a feel for the grip levels around the circuit, the Brazilian continued the aerodynamic programme, alongside further evaluation of the tyre options.
"We had a positive day," said Barrichello. "The car performed well and I could feel an improvement from the new aerodynamic parts that we were evaluating, even with the strong winds. We concentrated on achieving a good balance for the combination of high speed and low speed corners that you have here. I love driving at Silverstone so I am looking forward to the race next weekend and hopeful that we can achieve a better result than in France."
Sebastien Bourdais took over from Sebastian Vettel, as Toro Rosso's focus switched mainly to preparation for the forthcoming Grand Prix. The Frenchman worked on a comparison of the tyres that will be on offer, as well as set-up work and evaluation of brake materials. Apart from losing some time to an oil leak in the morning and an exhaust problem, the day went reasonably smoothly.
For Red Bull, David Coulthard took over from Mark Webber for what can only be described as a frustrating day. Tyre comparison in preparation for next weekend's race was on the agenda, but on his first run on new tyres, Timo Glock's Toyota collided with Coulthard as they went through Stowe. After lunch a gearbox issue delayed proceedings allowing only limited laps.
"Over the previous two days, when Mark was driving, the team had come up with some interesting results and I was keen to validate them today," said Coulthard. "Unfortunately I did not get much running and as the high-speed nature of Silverstone means it helps to get your eye in, I will be slightly on the back foot going into practice for the Grand Prix. But I think that, as a team, we are strong enough to deal with that, so I hope to have a good home race."