2009 Formula 1 Pre-season testing

Ed · Post by Ed » Tue Nov 18, 2008 3:02 pm

On the 17th of November all the Formula 1 Teams (except Toyota) returned to the track for the first official 2009 preseason test. The 3 days test session takes place in Barcelona in Spain.

Several teams tested several components in preparation for the 2009 season, some teams tried out a number of drivers while Red Bull had 5 times Rally World Champion Sebastien Loeb at the wheel.

The test also saw Bruno Senna behind the wheel of the Honda F1 racer

Teams testing with 2009 aero packages presented cars that looked a radically different from what we saw this season.

The times from Monday:

Rank Driver Team Best Lap Total Laps
1 Takuma Sato Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m20.763 121
2 Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m21.071 117
3 Alex Wurz Honda 1m21.198 77
4 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren Mercedes 1m21.417 65
5 Gary Paffett McLaren Mercedes 1m21.956 78
6 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1m22.341 56
7 Sebastien Loeb Red Bull Racing 1m22.503 82
8 Nelson Piquet Renault 1m22.560 80
9 Christian Klien BMW Sauber 1m22.883 53
10 Luca Badoer Ferrari 1m23.264 108
11 Nico Hulkenberg Williams 1m23.467 116
12 Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India 1m23.794 86
13 Adrian Sutil Force India 1m23.832 88
14 Marc Gene Ferrari 1m24.177 33
15 Bruno Senna Honda 1m24.343 39
16 Guido van der Garde Renault 1m24.908 32
17 Lucas di Grassi Honda 1m25.512 48

And here is Kubica's BMW Sauber F1.08B and next to it is Kubica's BMW Sauber F1.08 from Barcelona in April this year!

Ed · Post by Ed » Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:05 am

On Wednesday Sebastian Vettel driving for Red Bull set the fastest time of the day. It is difficult to analyse the times as the teams are running very different programmes.

Rank Driver Team Best Lap Total Laps
1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1m19.751 70
2 Takuma Sato Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m20.017 79
3 Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m20.034 48
4 Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m20.223 99
5 Gary Paffett McLaren Mercedes 1m21.340 31
6 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1m21.521 76
7 Nico Rosberg Williams 1m21.525 113
8 Jenson Button Honda 1m21.770 110
9 Gary Paffett McLaren Mercedes 1m21.835 46
10 Adrian Sutil Force India 1m22.073 58
11 Lucas di Grassi Honda 1m22.283 110
12 Nelson Piquet Renault 1m22.348 85
13 Luca Badoer Ferrari 1m22.425 127
14 Marc Gene Ferrari 1m22.772 31
15 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1m22.945 81
16 Guido van der Garde Renault 1m23.250 37
17 Pedro de la Rosa Force India 1m23.543 86

Ed · Post by Ed » Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:26 am

Selected quotes from the new test drivers on Tuesday and Wednesday

Lucas Di Grassi testing for Honda F1

My first day in the Honda car has been a good experience. The focus of my half day programme today has been to get the best possible feeling for the car ahead of my full day tomorrow. One of us had to be the first out on track today and that was me, but this morning the track was really very 'green' and took a while to improve. I ran with slick tyres for the first time and in a car that is both new to me and which had a combination of 2008 and 2009 aero elements, so it was a totally new experience for me but a very enjoyable one. Today I have been using old tyres, running with low downforce and working through a variety of set-ups. Tomorrow will be a better test of what I am capable of.

Bruno Senna testing for Honda F1

The first day of my first Formula One test has been just as big a moment as I expected it to be. I have also had a lot of fun and really enjoyed myself. This morning I focused on doing as much as I could to prepare for my turn. I listened to the team radio and watched and learned how the team works. I was feeling quite calm but on my first lap out of the garage I realised the significance of the moment. This is a very special opportunity and one which has been a dream my whole life. The team were great and left it to me to find my level, but by the end of my second run I was feeling very much at home in the car. There were lots of new sensations as the gearshifts, engine power and aerodynamics compared to a GP2 car were all very different. I need a few adjustments to be fully comfortable in the car for Wednesday but generally I am feeling good. Obviously my full day is when everything will count but I am very pleased with what I achieved today and the more laps I do, the quicker I'll be hopefully. A great, great day for me and I am incredibly grateful to the Honda team for making it possible.

Sebastien Loeb testing for Red Bull Racing

I don't think I'd like to take this much horsepower into the forests!. It was a great experience and I had fun, although I have to say that driving one of these cars is tougher physically than driving my rally car. Towards the end of the day, I began to get a good feel for the car and enjoyed the sensation of it moving around on the track. I have to say that the level of grip in the high speed corners is very impressive.

Giedo van der Garde testing for Renault F1

It was a great day. The last time I was in a Formula 1 car was over a year ago, so I had to get used to the speed of the car again. We improved every time we went out, working on getting a better set-up and hopefully we can continue like this tomorrow morning. It's been nice to work with the team - they are a good bunch of people and I'm really enjoying the experience.

Ed · Post by Ed » Thu Nov 20, 2008 11:21 am

Final day of testing at Barcelona saw 3 Sebastien's (with slightly different spellings) at the top of the timesheets.

Again, it is very difficult to read much into the times as teams are running very different programmes.

Rank Driver Team Best Lap Total laps
1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1m19.295 75
2 Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m19.839 122
3 Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m20.154 115
4 Gary Paffett McLaren Mercedes 1m21.140 81
5 Jenson Button Honda 1m21.387 94
6 Christian Klien BMW Sauber 1m21.534 88
7 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1m21.592 106
8 Bruno Senna Honda 1m21.676 107
9 Nelson Piquet Renault 1m22.148 94
10 Nico Hulkenberg Williams 1m22.410 52
11 Luca Badoer Ferrari 1m22.866 120
12 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India 1m23.086 93
13 Pedro de la Rosa Force India 1m23.103 88

The next major testing session will be at Jerez from the 9th of December

Ed · Post by Ed » Wed Dec 10, 2008 12:36 pm

Formula 1 testing commenced on Tuesday at the Jerez track, 6 teams were present with 9 drivers setting lap times. Sebastien Buemi testing for the Toro Rosso team set the fastest time of the day with a 1:18.742. Sebastien Bourdais in the second Toro Rosso was second and Gary Paffet testing for the McLaren team was 3rd. Nelson Piquet in the Renault covered the most number of laps with 124. Testing continues on Wednesday

Full results

Position Driver Team Best Time Total Laps
1 Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:18.742 91
2 Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:19.288 77
3 Gary Paffett McLaren Mercedes 1:20.134 26
4 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren Mercedes 1:20.164 21
5 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:20.261 48
6 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:20.678 49
7 Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1:21.338 57
8 Nelson Piquet Renault 1:21.547 124
9 Christian Klien BMW Sauber 1:22.098 15

Ed · Post by Ed » Thu Dec 11, 2008 6:30 am

Testing continued at Jerez on Wednesday and once again Sebastien Buemi set the fastest time of the day ahead of Takuma Sato and Sebastien Bourdais.

6 teams were present with 11 drivers setting lap times.

Full results

Position Driver Team Best Lap Total laps
1 Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:18.073 128
2 Takuma Sato Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:8.601 38
3 Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:18.673 81
4 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren Mercedes 1:19.032 78
5 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:19.334 89
6 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren Mercedes 1:19.631 64
7 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:19.907 106
8 Nico Rosberg Williams 1:20.309 122
9 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:20.365 87
10 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:20.490 27
11 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:20.954 38

Ed · Post by Ed » Fri Dec 12, 2008 2:21 pm

Testing conculded at Jerez today and again Sebastien Beumi topped the timesheets for the 3rd day in a row giving him a good chance of securing a race seat with the team.

Position Driver Team Best Laptime Total Laps
1 Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:17.258 139
2 Takuma Sato Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:17.520 119
3 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren Mercedes 1:18.049 96
4 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:18.782 82
5 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:19.050 72
6 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:19.319 124
7 Nico Rosberg Williams 1:19.388 130
8 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren Mercedes 1:19.499 47
9 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:19.559 134
10 Christian Klien BMW Sauber 1:19.738 101

Meanwhile the Toyota team concluded a three day test session at the Bahrain International Circuit with Jarno Trulli and Henki Waldschmidt on duty. Trulli covered a total of 258 laps over the 3 days with a best time of 1:32.463. Waldschmidt covered a total of 128 laps over 2 days with a best time of 1:33.430.

The next F1 test will also be at Jerez from the 15th of December. McLaren and Ferrari meanwhile will test at Portimao in Portugal.

Ed · Post by Ed » Tue Dec 16, 2008 7:27 pm

Formula 1 Testing resumed on Monday with BMW Sauber, Red Bull and Williams testing at the Jerez circuit while McLaren and Ferrari were testing at the new Algarve circuit at Portimao in Portugal.

At Jerez, Sebastien Buemi once again topped the timesheets, this time driving for the Red Bull team. Buemi finished ahead of Nick Heidfeld and Brendon Hartley.

Full results

Position Driver Team Best Lap Total laps
1. Sebastien Buemi Red Bull Racing 1:17.704 71
2. Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:19.360 75
3. Brendon Hartley Red Bull Racing 1:19.586 83
4. Christian Klien BMW Sauber 1:19.655 94
5. Nico Hulkenberg Williams 1:20.704 100

At Portimao, Gary Paffett set the fastest time ahead of Felipe Massa who cut his run short as he was feeling unwell.

Position Driver Team Best Lap Total Laps
1. Gary Paffett McLaren Mercedes 1:31.788 63
2. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:32.926 36

Testing continues at both tracks tomorrow

Ed · Post by Ed » Thu Dec 18, 2008 1:47 am

Testing continued at Jerez and Portimao on Tuesday. At Jerez, Sebastien Buemi once again set the fastest time of the day ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Nick Heidfeld.

Full results

Position Driver Team Best Lap Total Laps
1. Sebastien Buemi Red Bull Racing 1:17.029 83
2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:17.319 83
3. Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:19.303 85
4. Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:20.006 61
5. Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1:20.332 105

Meanwhile at the Algarve facility in Portimao, McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa set the fastest time of the day ahead of the 2 Ferrari test drivers.

Full results

Position Driver Team Best Lap Total Laps
1. Pedro de la Rosa McLaren Mercedes 1:30.080 68
2. Luca Badoer Ferrari 1:31.320 71
3. Marc Gene Ferrari 1:33.076 51

Testing concludes at both tracks on Wednesday

Ed · Post by Ed » Fri Jan 09, 2009 4:20 pm

Formula 1 Testing for 2008 concluded at Jerez and Portimao on Wednesday. At Jerez, Sebastian set the fastest time of the day ahead of and VettelSebastien Buemi and Robert Kubica.

Full results

Position Driver Team Best Lap Total Laps
2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:16.617 107
1. Sebastien Buemi Red Bull Racing 1:16.988 92
4. Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:19.013 100
3. Christian Klien BMW Sauber 1:19.066 38
5. Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1:19.341 131

Meanwhile at the Algarve facility in Portimao, McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa set the fastest time of the day ahead of Luca Badoer.

Full results

Position Driver Team Best Lap Total Laps
1. Pedro de la Rosa McLaren Mercedes 1:28.993 74
2. Luca Badoer Ferrari 1:30.163 75

The Toyota Formula 1 Team concluded their 2008 F1 testing at Bahrain with 3 drivers sharing the testing duties. Timo Glock covered a total of 258 laps with a best time of 1:32.090, Italian Andrea Caldarelli covered 128 laps with a best time of 1:33.170 while Kamui Kobayashi completed the test with 33 laps to complete the allowed test kilometres for the team in 2008.

Formula 1 testing resumes in January when many of the teams will roll out their 2009 F1 contenders

Ed · Post by Ed » Mon Jan 19, 2009 11:19 am

The first official F1 test of 2009 is about to start at the Algarve circuit in Portugal. The McLaren team is already there and on Saturday they conducted an intial test for the new MP4-24 with Pedro de la Rosa.

He covered 18 laps with a best time of 1:28.719

Pedro de la Rosa said of the initial test:

It’s always an exciting moment when you get behind the wheel of a brand new car for the first time - and, given the extent of the rule changes we’ve addressed over the winter, today was more tense than usual. However, I’m happy to report that the car behaved just as we believed it would from our data and we carried out a number of runs, gaining in confidence as we ran through a number of systems checks.

Obviously, we have yet to really push the MP4-24 to its limits and we will start running more laps on Monday but this was a constructive start and has given us some confidence. Given the limits on testing this year, it’s now essential that we work productively in order to develop the car ahead of the first race of the season. We have a busy few weeks ahead of us but everyone within the team is really looking forward to the work ahead

A number of teams will commence testing their new cars today (Moday)

Ed · Post by Ed » Tue Jan 20, 2009 2:37 pm

The first official F1 test of 2009 started at the Algarve test facility in Portugal. 5 teams were present on the first day with 5 drivers setting lap times.

Conditions were wet for most of the day and no dry times were set.

Sebastien Beumi set the fastest time of the day ahead of Pedro de la Rosa and Nico Hulkenberg.

Full results
Rank Driver Team Best Time Total Laps
1 Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:41.528 65
2 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren Mercedes 1:46.076 28
3 Nico Hulkenberg Williams 1:46.335 28
4 Nelson Piquet Renault 1:48.907 33
5 Kamui Kobayashi Toyota 1:50.989 46

All cars are 2009 spec cars except Toro Rosso

The Ferrari F1 team opted to test at Mugello rather than with the rest of the teams at Algarve amid reports that their car doesn't fully conform to the 2009 aerodynamic rules (more). Kimi Raikkonen drove the F60 covering 54 laps with a best time of 1:34.430

Julian Mayo · Post by **Julian Mayo** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 7:10 pm

Ferrari???.....Illegal??????

Given that the exhaust length governs horsepower quite significantly what are Ferrari doing testing something which does not conform?? Why waste the time?????

GhoGho · Post by **GhoGho** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 4:23 am

smoke and mirrors..................

Ed · Post by Ed » Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:11 pm

It was another wet day at Algarve test facility and once again Sebastien Buemi was the fastest on the track ahead of Pedro de la Rosa and Jarno Trulli.

Full results:

Rank Driver Team Best Time Total Laps
1 Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:34.429 48
2 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren Mercedes 1:37.512 62
3 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:42.399 30
4 Nelson Piquet Renault 1:45.860 9
5 Nico Rosberg Williams 1:51.580 31

At Mugello the Ferrari team continued testing with Kimi Raikkonen at the wheel. Also under wet conditions, he completed 42 laps with a best time of 1:33.920.

Finally, at a third venue, BMW Sauber are conducting a private test in Valencia where they launched their 2009 contender earlier in the day. Robert Kubica completed 73 laps. The team did not release the best lap time of the day.

Testing continues on Wednesday at all 3 tracks