12/03/2011
NEWS STORY
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Nico Rosberg posted the fastest time on the final day of testing at the Circuit de Catalunya however, continual heavy rainfall throughout the day meant the teams got little meaningful running.
Mercedes started the day with Michael Schumacher who completed a number of one-lap runs to try out the Pirelli wet tyres for the first time. He and the team then worked through race weekend scenarios including a grid procedure simulation. Rosberg took over just before lunch and followed a similar programme during the afternoon session completing 35 laps.
After 15 days of pre-season testing the German team has completed 3578 miles (5759 kms) of running which equates to just under 19 race distances. Four Mercedes-Benz FO108Y engines have been used during the four pre-season tests and the team has completed 35 pit stops at the track with an additional 200 pit stops back at the factory
"It was good to complete a few laps out there this morning and try out the Pirelli wet tyres," said Schumacher. "There was obviously a limit to what we could achieve, but we made good use of the time by working through our race procedures. It's been a good week here in Barcelona and we're certainly happy with our position going into the first race of the season."
"It was tricky out there today," added Rosberg, "there wasn't a lot of grip, but it was really useful to get the experience on the Pirelli wet tyres. We have made a lot of progress over the four tests this winter and it's really nice to see that things are going in the right direction. We are on the up for sure, and all credit to the team for getting the upgrades on the car and, most importantly, to see that they are working as expected."
"We've had a very productive test in Barcelona working on the final specification of the MGP W02 for the first race of the season in Australia," said Ross Brawn. "Our upgrade package has performed as we expected, however Formula One continually moves forward, and as always, we will keep looking for more performance. We are happy with the structure that we applied to our pre-season testing programme, culminating in a good quantity of miles, and the car that we wanted to produce by the end of this test. Both drivers and the team have achieved a good amount of work for the new season in terms of race weekend simulations and it is now down to the final preparations for the first race. Then we will really see where we stand and how we have to react. On a different note, we have been wrapped up in our intense programme here, but our hearts and minds go out to the people of Japan, who are great supporters of our sport, in this time of tragedy."
For Williams, Pastor Maldonado completed 23 laps, posting a quickest time of 1:44.333 to finish second overall of the five drivers running.
"Today was a complete washout in Barcelona!" said Sam Michael. "It's always useful to run in the wet, but it was too much unfortunately. Regardless, we've put some useful mileage on the FW33 at this final test, highlighted a few areas to work on from a reliability and performance side, and now we're all really looking forward to start racing again."
"It was quite difficult today as the track was so wet," admitted Maldonado. "We tried some different things in the car though looking ahead to the races and it is looking good. It is my first time driving the FW33 in these kind of conditions and I think it was really important for me to get a run in the wet today
The big losers today were McLaren who abandoned their plan to run on Thursday and instead split the test into two two-day sessions. The weather conditions today totally wrecking their hopes of getting some final meaningful running before Melbourne.
"We tested a couple of things during some shorter runs, but it was very dangerous out there," said a dejected Lewis Hamilton, "it was very slippery and there was lots of aquaplaning. This definitely isn't normal Spanish weather!
"We learnt a bit about the Pirelli Intermediates and Extremes," he continued, "but there was so much aquaplaning that it was a bit too risky to do longer runs.
"As for the world championship, I'm excited," he added, "we've got a long season ahead of us. We've got a lot of work to do, but we have more updates coming for Melbourne. The championship is open, and we don't know what to expect. Our whole team will be pushing very, very hard."
Such were the conditions, Ferrari decided to bring its day to an end around two hours ahead of the chequered flag. Up to that point, Fernando Alonso had only managed five incomplete laps, their only purpose to do some practice some starts in the wet and to check out the way the car behaved in these extreme conditions.
"The conditions meant you could not lap in a way in which you could learn anything useful," said the Spaniard. "If we had found ourselves in this situation in a race weekend, there would definitely have been a red flag.
"Even with a day like this, I am pleased with how the winter testing has gone," he continued. "On average, we have done around a hundred laps each day, which demonstrates we have the reliability which is a priority when you are dealing with a new car: we are the team that has completed the greatest distance of all.
"However," he added, referring to the subject tat everyone is talking about at present, "we still need to see how the tyres will perform in higher temperatures, which we might encounter in Australia and even more likely in Malaysia. In November, at the Abu Dhabi test, the situation was a bit different to these tests in Spain, but we will have to wait for a race to find out more. What is certain is that we will not see races like those of 2010, in which strategy was obvious right from the start of the weekend. This year, a lot of attention will go into deciding if it is best to do two, three or four stops, being flexible and ready to manage any situation. Maybe sometimes it will be better to do a few less laps in each stint and make the most of the tyres at the point when they are at their best, or looking at doing one less stop: it will depend on the track and how the race evolves. Yesterday, we did a good simulation, alternating between two types of tyres at each of the four stops: we will see what happens in Melbourne.
"Overall, I think we will arrive in Melbourne in a hundred percent state of readiness," he continued, "but whether or not that will be enough to win, we will not know until we are there in Australia. I feel confident, just as I did last year going into the start of the season. We are in good shape, even if we know we are not racing alone out there. We want to win, but that does not mean that if it did not happen, it would be a disaster: sport cannot be just a question of victory or defeat. If we win it will be fantastic, but if we don't then we will try again the following year, as Ferrari has always done. One thing's for sure, we will have to push on the development, like we did last year. For example, at Albert Park, I hope we will manage to bring a few updates, especially to the front wing, which can still give us a fraction more in performance terms."
Today's times from Barcelona
Today's Times - All Times Unofficial
| Name | Team | Laps | Time | Gap |
| Rosberg | Mercedes | 35 | 1:43.814 | 100.306 mph |
| Maldonado | Williams | 23 | 1:44.333 | 0.519 |
| Hamilton | McLaren | 33 | 1:44.560 | 0.746 |
| Alonso | Ferrari | 5 | No Time | |
| Schumacher | Mercedes | 5 | No Time |
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