• Abu Dhabi Pirelli test

Alonso fastest in second Pirelli test

ESPNF1 Staff
November 20, 2010 « Vettel dreaming of Ferrari and Mercedes | »
Fernando Alonso found good pace on the new Pirellis © Sutton Images
Enlarge
Related Links

Fernando Alonso showed no signs of a hangover following his agonising title loss last weekend, as he returned to action for the first time since Sunday's race to top the timings in testing.

The Spaniard went through 105 laps and in what proved an excellent couple of days for Ferrari, he posted a time of 1:40.529, three tenths off the mark set by his team-mate Felipe Massa on Friday.

"Overall, I am quite happy with the behaviour of the tyres," Alonso said. "They are not too different to the previous manufacturer [Bridgestone] so in a way I think it will be a very smooth transition with no big drama."

The return to Formula One of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher was somewhat underwhelming, with Mercedes claiming for much of the season that 2011 would be his year when he gets on Pirelli tyres. Initially it looked as though there could be weight to that argument with Schumacher setting the second fastest time, but it was later revealed that he had cut a chicane and his time was disallowed. Nevertheless, he is still confident.

"For the first step, from what we have seen here, I feel positive about the tyres," Schumacher said when asked if the new tyres will suit him better.

Sebastian Vettel who was fourth fastest despite suffering a tyre failure for the second day in a row. The most likely cause according to Pirelli was debris after several days of running at the circuit over the past two weeks.

Rubens Barrichello put his Williams in third, ahead of Renault driver Robert Kubica and McLaren pair Gary Paffett and Oliver Turvey.

"It has been quite a productive day and it's good to complete so many laps on the new tyres," Kubica said. "Like yesterday we ran with both compounds and collected a lot of data, which will be useful for us and for Pirelli as well. Overall it has been a positive couple of days."

Pos. Driver Car Best Time Laps
1 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:40.529 105
2 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:40.825s 66
3 Rubens Barrichello Williams 1:41.294 100
4 Robert Kubica Renault 1:41.614 91
5 Gary Paffett McLaren 1m41.622 46
6 Oliver Turvey McLaren 1:41.740 30
7 Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1:40.685 74
8 Paul di Resta Force India 1:41.869 35
9 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber 1:42.110 43
10 Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso 1:42.145 97
11 Tonio Liuzzi Force India 1:42.416 46
12 Sergio Perez Sauber 1:42.777 46
13 Jarno Trulli Lotus 1:44.521 83
14 Pastor Maldonado Hispania 1:44.768 65
15 Timo Glock Virgin 1:44.783 82

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
ESPN Staff Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices