• Valencia Test - Day One

Vettel ends opening day on top

ESPNF1 Staff
February 1, 2011 « New Lotus hits the track in Valencia | »
Sebastian Vettel was quickest on day 1 © Sutton Images
Enlarge
Related Links

Sebastian Vettel ended the much anticipated opening day of testing at Valencia in the style of a world champion by finishing on top of the lap times.

The session was dry throughout and before lunchtime the morning cloud cover had burnt off, bringing the track temperature closer to the kind of temperatures the teams and Pirelli tyres will experience at races.

Red Bull began the day by unveiling its new RB7 to an expectant press before taking to the circuit to put Adrian Newey's machine through its paces. And it was Vettel who finished quickest of all, a 1:13.769 edging compatriot Nico Hulkenberg's Force India.

Fernando Alonso, who set the pace in the morning session, was unsurprisingly the clear favourite among the home crowd, a legion of red and white Ferrari fans straining to get a glimpse of him through the paddock gates. Every time he parked the Ferrari in the garage a group of his supporters leant over from the grandstand above chanting his name. He finished the day fifth fastest, nearly a second off Vettel's time although little was known about the different fuel loads teams were running. The session ended slightly prematurely after Alonso stopped on the circuit at turn three with only minutes of the session remaining.

Much attention was given to how the new devices would work, notably the movable rear wing. Nico Rosberg was one such driver to try it out although he only managed nine laps after suffering a hydraulics leak early in the morning session.

"I tried the rear wing and that is going to take some getting used to," said Rosberg. "I pushed the button, the thing goes down at the back and you suddenly feel the car go lighter. Then you release the button again before braking and you think 'jeez this thing hasn't actually gone back to its original position'. So yes, it's going to take some time to get used to I think."

Another intriguing point of interest in the paddock was on the Renault and where its exhausts emerge from the bodywork. There are several theories doing the rounds, but the most subscribed one is that they emerge near the front of the floor to improve the effect of the blown diffuser. Understandably, Renault was not taking questions on its latest innovation.

© 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