• Jerez Test Day One

Hamilton takes it easy on MP4-26's debut

ESPNF1 Staff
February 10, 2011 « Mercedes gets to the bottom of reliability issues | »
Lewis Hamilton eased the new McLaren in to its first day of testing © Sutton Images
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Lewis Hamilton eased the McLaren MP4-26 into its testing debut at Jerez on Thursday, completing preliminary checks without the use of the moveable rear wing.

He completed 58 laps in the car, which was stripped in the garage at lunchtime to ensure it was working as expected, and set the fifth fastest time. In the afternoon he experimented with KERS and the team monitored the performance of the new Pirelli tyres throughout the day.

"Today was mainly about checking the car - not the most exciting day, but it was important to make sure everything was running okay," Hamilton said. "We didn't do any particularly long runs, and I wasn't too aggressive with the car, but we learned a couple of useful things. The car feels good compared to last year's, which is positive. It feels like a good step over MP4-25."

Jenson Button will be in the cockpit of the MP4-26 on Friday as the team continues with its schedule.

Times

Driver Car Time Laps
1. Felipe Massa Ferrari F150 1:20.709 101
2. Sergio Perez Sauber C30 1:21.483 94
3. Mark Webber Red Bull RB7 1:21.522 94
4. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso STR6 1:21.755 31
5. Lewis Hamilton McLaren MP4-26 1:21.914 58
6. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso STR6 1:22.689 42
7. Adrian Sutil Force India VJM-04 1:23.472 28
8. Vitaly Petrov Renault R31 1:23.504 57
9. Nico Rosberg Mercedes W02 1:23.963 67
10. Jarno Trulli Lotus T128 1:24.458 54
11. Timo Glock Virgin MVR-02 1:25.086 42
12. Pastor Maldonado Williams FW33 1:34.968 13

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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