• Jerez Test Report - Day Two

Barrichello takes top spot at damp Jerez

ESPNF1 Staff
February 18, 2010 « Schumacher 'clever' to cancel 2009 comeback - Andretti | »
Rubens Barrichello set the fastest time at a damp Jerez © Getty Images
Enlarge
Related Links

Day two testing gallery

Rubens Barrichello set the fastest time at the second day of testing in Jerez, which was again blighted by rain showers and red flags - one of which was caused by standing water on the track.

Changing conditions throughout the day meant lap times became almost meaningless, but for what it was worth Barrichello's best was a 1:27.145 ahead of Vitaly Petrov in the Renault and Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull. More impressive was that Barrichello managed to complete 97 laps, more than anyone else.

The biggest story, however, was Heikki Kovalainen's crash on his debut test for Lotus, which forced the team to stop running. Kovalainen lost control and went head-on into the tyre barrier, knocking the front wing off the car in the process. He posted on Twitter: "Had a crash and damaged front wing, session over for us. S**t! My mistake, tomorrow we go again." Technical director Mike Gascoyne said the team will receive a replacement wing overnight and will have it fitted in time for Friday morning.

Heikki Kovalainen crashes out of the test © Sutton Images
Enlarge

Meanwhile, fellow F1 newcomers Virgin enjoyed one of its best days of testing so far, with Timo Glock setting the eighth-fastest time and finishing the day with a tally of 72 laps. However, the team blotted its copybook when Glock stopped on track, causing the first red flag.

Ferrari again appeared frustrated by the inclement weather and said it was not able to follow a proper testing schedule in the conditions. Felipe Massa set the fifth-fastest time of the session but was focussing on race procedures and the odd bit of pit-stop practice for most of his 92 laps. Mercedes also followed a similar programme and Nico Rosberg, fourth overall, was fairly evenly matched with Massa when they were both on track.

Sauber and Pedro de la Rosa had an unusually quiet day, notching up just 8 laps and the sixth-fastest time. They were just ahead of Force India's test driver Paul di Resta, who drove 33 laps in the VJM03 before handing it over to race driver Tonio Liuzzi midway through the afternoon.

Lewis Hamilton was tenth in the standings after driving short and medium-length runs. Towards the end of the session he was the fastest man on the track, but the conditions didn't allow for a quick lap. No major problems were reported as he clocked up a total of 57 laps.

Testing will resume on Friday, although none of the teams are expecting an improvement in the weather.

Final lap times from day two

Pos. Driver Car Best Time Laps
1. Rubens Barrichello Williams FW32 1:27.145 98
2. Vitaly Petrov Renault R30 1:27.828 56
3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull RB6 1:28.162 70
5. Nico Rosberg Mercedes W01 1:28.515 71
4. Felipe Massa Ferrari F10 1:28.879 92
6. Pedro de la Rosa Sauber C29 1:29.691 8
7. Paul di Resta Force India VJM03 1:30.344 33
8. Timo Glock Virgin VR01 1:30.476 72
9. Tonio Liuzzi Force India VJM03 1:30.666 24
10. Lewis Hamilton McLaren MP4-25 1:30.979 57
11. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso 1:32.678 57
12. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus T127 1:33.554 30

© 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