25/11/2014
NEWS STORY
The 2014 season barely at an end, just over 48 hours later the engines - including a newcomer - fired up again as preparations for 2015 got underway.
following its strong display over the weekend, and seemingly already in close talks with a potential buyer, Caterham, which only made it to the season finale courtesy of a crowd funding project, completed an impressive 101 laps, the Leafield outfit clearly not prepared to throw in the towel just yet.
Bottas, who completed a double visit to the podium for Williams at the weekend, topped the timesheets today as the Grove outfit focussed on aero evaluations, mechanical & systems work and 2015 tyre testing.
"It was a good day overall and I really enjoyed it," said the Finn. "Everything went to plan and we completed the programme we had planned. It was interesting to try the new Pirelli tyres against the old, we felt a few differences and that is knowledge that we will take forward for next year. The tyre degradation is a lot more consistent so Pirelli has done a good job with the new compound.
"We got some positive results from the systems we are testing for next year as well. It was a fun way to end the season. The FW36 has been a great car and a really good platform to build next year's car from. I have a lot of faith that we can continue to move forward and improve, I am looking forward to getting next season underway now."
"We had a very busy day predominantly testing the Pirelli tyres for next year," added Rod Nelson, the team's Chief Test and Support Engineer. "There is a new rear construction and the supersoft is a new compound and we are happy with the progress we have made so far. We have also tested a few systems for the FW37 and again, they were successful. We completed a busy programme and look forward to our final day of 2014 running tomorrow with Felipe Nasr."
At Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen spent the morning working on fine tuning different aerodynamic and mechanical configurations and concentrating on set-up work. This afternoon's programme featured a series of short and long distance runs, while working on systems management, as well as an initial evaluation of the 2015 tyres.
"It was a normal day of testing," said the Finn. "With more running time and more tyres to work with, we managed to try various solutions without having any problems. Testing next season's tyres produced positive results, but will have to wait to try them on the new car in winter testing, to get an in depth understanding of their behaviour."
Taking to the track for the Maranello outfit tomorrow is Ferrari Driver Academy driver, Raffaele Marciell who is making his debut at the wheel of the F14 T.
Whilst his title-winning teammate continues the celebrations, it was back to work for runner-up Nico Rosberg, who will be aiming to reverse the situation next season.
Today's programme focussed on aero testing, 2015 Pirelli tyres, system checks and set-up work. The Brackley team was also able to test some new parts for the 2015 regulations.
"Today was good," said the German, who completed 14 laps on his way to posting the third best time of the day, "we were looking at the tyres for next year mainly. That was a useful experience, looking at a lot of the set up for the new tyres as it could be quite different.
"It's always interesting to test the car here in such great conditions so that worked well. It was great to get back into the car again today and to do as many laps as we did is positive. You can see we're already testing parts for 2015, so I'm already looking forward to it. I will go away and reflect on a great season for the team with this incredible car and aim to come back even stronger for next year."
GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer enjoyed his first opportunity in an F1 car today as he worked with Force India, the Briton finishing fourth on the timesheets despite losing valuable track-time due to an engine issue.
"I really enjoyed my first experience at the wheel of a Formula One car," he said. "I always had the ambition to drive a Formula One car: it was surreal when I first got out of the pits, but after the first moment I was just focusing on getting the job done for the team and doing my best. Despite a few technical issues early on, in the end we managed to get back on track and have a solid hour of running, getting up to speed fairly quickly.
"What really stood out for me is the power delivery of a Formula One car, compared to what I am used to in GP2: I heard lots about it all year, but to actually experience it first hand, feeling it as I drove was impressive. Knowing the track in advance helps only a little as you get to the various corners and drive through them at completely different speeds to what you are used to; but not having to get to know the layout made it possible to just concentrate on our testing programme.
"I have learnt a lot working with the team, seeing how everyone operates, and I am really happy about today's experience. Sahara Force India is a team that gives young drivers good chances and I would love to get a role with them. They developed Paul Di Resta into a good racer, created a meaningful FP1 programme for Jules Bianchi and generally do a really good work with their reserve drivers."
"It's always exciting being part of a driver's first day driving a Formula One car," admitted Chief Engineer, Tom McCullough, "and Jolyon certainly acquitted himself well. He settled into the team very quickly and everyone was impressed with his approach to the day, especially his communication with the engineers. The early part of the day involved some aero data collection, which went to plan and should give us some useful information for the design of next year's car. It was a shame that we suffered an issue with the engine towards the end of the morning, which confined us to the garage for a large part of the day. The crew did a good job to get the car out for the final hour of running to give Jolyon some more valuable mileage."
Carlos Sainz Jr enjoyed a busy outing at the Yas Marina, the 20-year-old was awarded a test day with Red Bull for winning this year's Formula Renault 3.5 title and the series' youngest ever winner impressed with 100 laps at the wheel of the RB10 and the day's fifth quickest time.
"For me it was an incredible day, a day that I've been thinking about since I started the Formula Renault 3.5 season, knowing that this was the prize," he said. "So it was always in my mind and to finally make it happen was an incredible feeling.
"Obviously I had a reference from the test at Silverstone last year in the RB9 and I could build up little by little, as it was a long day and I think I did 100 laps. From the first lap I felt comfortable and felt at home, so I was able to push. There were no problems at all even though it was an extensive programme. The morning was all about data gathering but in the afternoon I was able to push a bit more, so it was fun."
"A very busy day in which I think we got through a total of 26 outings," said Race Engineering Co-ordinator Andy Damerum. "Some of those were obviously conditional on the red flags we saw today, but Carlos got through 100 laps, which is great for a rookie.
"He tested for us at Silverstone last year and since then he's been in our simulator. His feedback is excellent and I think he has improved again over the past year. He's obviously familiar with our car in the virtual world but it's always a very different prospect on track and today he handled that really well.
"We had a lot of tyres to play with today and testing the 2015 prototype tyres was very valuable. As with everyone else, there were a number of 2015 test items on the car and a lot going on too in terms of updated software and background tests. I'm happy to say we had no major issues and we got through a lot of kilometres. Daniel will be in the car tomorrow and the programme will be largely similar."
"Today's been a really good day, I'm very pleased with myself," said Will Stevens, who finished the day sixth quickest having posted the third most laps. "We got through everything we needed to do and we completed more than 100 laps, which is excellent not only for me to get more mileage under my belt but also to show that the car is reliable. Overall we got close to the pace we had in qualifying at the weekend. My last run got compromised a bit because of the red flag, but it's been a very good day.
"I feel completely different in the car now - every time I leave the garage I know exactly what I need to do, where everything is and I'm much more confident than at the beginning of the race weekend. I feel very comfortable and I can now focus 100% on the driving side of things. It's been a very useful day for me and the team and I can't wait to do it all over again tomorrow."
"It's been a very useful first day of testing," said Gianluca Pisanello, the team's Head of Engineering Operations. "We were able to follow the programme as planned and Will did a very solid job, completing many laps and providing the team with valuable feedback while gaining experience. It was also very interesting to test the 2015 Pirelli tyres for the first time and compare them to this year's and the data we already have from the season that ended on Sunday. Trouble-free days like today are always what the engineers hope for at a test; let's hope for the same tomorrow."
At Lotus, Charles Pic opened the first day of the test completing 89 laps during the course of aerodynamic assessments and tyre evaluations. The Frenchman conducted comparisons between Pirelli's 2014 and 2015 specification tyres as well as collecting aerodynamic data focused on next year's car, the E23-Hybrid.
"Of course it's always fantastic to get back into a Formula 1 car and it was a good day today," said Pic. "We ran through the programme required and I could definitely feel the difference in the car compared to when I last drove it at Silverstone. It was interesting to get a taste of the 2015 tyres. They don't feel massively different from this year's, but I did feel an improvement in terms of traction. I'm glad I was able to complete so many laps reliably and carry out the team's planned programme fully."
"It was a solid day of testing for us with numerous aerodynamic evaluations completed, all assisting in our developments for the future," added Alan Permane, the Enstone outfit's Trackside Operations Director. "We also had the opportunity to run the 2015 specification tyres which provide us with good data for developments back at Enstone. Charles jumped back in the car and gave us everything we wanted from him today.
"Tomorrow will be interesting as we will run two highly talented young drivers, with Esteban Ocon running for the morning session and Alex Lynn in the afternoon."
Talking of Caterham, today's test marked former driver Marcus Ericsson's debut with Sauber, the Swede getting his hands on the C33 for the first time. The Swiss team worked on aerodynamic measurements and also focused on testing different tyres. Although, there were minor issues, Ericsson went through the planned programme and finished the first day of testing with short runs. The Swede completed a total of 95 laps.
"It was a great day," said Ericsson. "I did a lot of laps which was the main thing to get used to the car and get to start to work with the team. I am really happy with that. It was a good first day. We focused mainly on aero work for 2015 and also on tyre comparisons. I think everyone is satisfied, and I am also happy about my first laps in the C33."
"It was a good day," added Test Engineer, Paul Russell, "although in the afternoon we had some technical issues, and in general there were many red flags but it did not affect our programme massively.
"It was good to start working with Marcus, and it was important for him to drive the C33, start the process of working together and also to learn the car. We got quite a lot of aero work done today, and collected a lot of valuable data. Besides that, we also had a first look into the tyres for the 2015 season. Overall it was quite a mixed programme. It was an interesting day."
Having contested a number of FP1 sessions today marked Max Verstappen's first official test ahead of a race debut next March which will see him become the youngest ever driver in the history of the sport. The Dutch youngster only completed 55 laps after losing much of the morning's running after crashing out due to a technical failure.
"Unfortunately we didn't get much running in the morning," said the youngster, "but in the afternoon we carried out very useful long runs, which helped me with my understanding of how to manage the tyres. To be able to run the car for a longer period than just an hour and a half, which is all I had done so far when running in the FP1 sessions, was definitely a good experience and lap by lap, I got more used to the car. I'm looking forward to getting another day in the car tomorrow, to go on with the programme we started today."
"It was an interesting day today, as we ran with the new 2015 tyres," added Phil Charles, the Faenza outfit's Chief Race Engineer. "Unfortunately in the morning we got minimum running due to a suspension issue, which caused Max to run wide in turn 19 and crash into the barrier. The car was damaged and it took the whole morning to fix it, before we were able to get it back on track. However, despite this, it was a productive day. In the afternoon we concentrated on long run comparisons between 2014 and 2015 tyres and we have already learnt quite a bit in this area, but there is still a lot to do. We will now put together a programme for tomorrow, based on what we learned today."
The centre of media attention was the first proper run for McLaren-Honda, unfortunately the day turned out to be a bit of a damp squib.
An electronics issue meant the car spent the morning in the garage, but it broke cover soon after lunch, with test and development driver Stoffel Vandoorne conducting a number of exploratory installation runs throughout the afternoon.
Sadly, he was halted on a couple of occasions by a fuel/data exchange issue - the second of which left him stranded on the circuit, causing a red flag. Nonetheless, the first day of running was positive, as it has enabled the team to begin its trouble-shooting programme well ahead of the first test of 2015, which takes place at Jerez in early February.
"Firstly, I want to say that wearing Honda's famous 'H' logo on the chest of my overalls and team kit makes me feel extremely proud," beamed Vandoorne. Before today, McLaren Honda had only existed to me as a chapter in F1 history - to actually become part of it is very exciting.
"We'd hoped to get a few more laps under our belts today, but we had a fuel data-logging issue that stopped the car a couple of times. However, the team are already analysing the situation and we'll hopefully cure it ahead of tomorrow. Nevertheless, it's been a very positive day for us. At this stage of development, any lap we complete has a benefit - and it's better to be solving these initial teething problems in November rather than in Jerez next February. I've already given the team some useful feedback.
"The purpose of this test is to enable the engineers to deepen their knowledge of the McLaren and Honda collaboration," he added. "This is their first time working together at the track, and - operationally - it's all a bit different. We're still building up the power - we haven't run the engine at full power yet - so it's difficult to get a feeling for it, but it sounds absolutely fantastic! People often say that if an engine sounds good, then it usually has lots of power - so let's hope that's the case!"
"Running a modern Formula 1 car is a very complicated procedure," said Eric Boullier, "and this week's test is all about how the departments at Sakura, Milton Keynes and Woking learn to work with the operational hub at the circuit.
"This test is an opportunity for us to build up that operational strength; to get McLaren and Honda working together under the same roof. We encountered a number of issues, including a lengthy check of electrical installations this morning, but it's satisfying to see that we got the engine fired up, the car out of the garage, and some laps on the board in the afternoon.
"We're not chasing lap times this week, it's just about gradually expanding our knowledge. Tomorrow will hopefully be all about conducting longer runs as we learn about different parts of the engine, and run through each separate system."
"This week's test is really all about performing some fundamental systems checks on the engine before we begin testing in earnest next February," added Yasuhisa Arai, Honda R&D senior managing officer - chief officer of motorsport. "When I was at Jerez earlier this year, I noticed just how many issues the teams faced in readying these turbo engines, so we really wanted to get those initial checks under our belts before winter testing starts in 2015.
"The engine we used today is still under development - it's not for the actual race - and we're on schedule to develop it further ahead of the forthcoming season. There are a few more steps coming before Australia. We're making good progress for the new season as one team."
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