• Jerez Test Day Three

Alonso impressed by Ferrari's reliability

ESPNF1 Staff
February 12, 2011 « Renault pleased with Heidfeld's first test | »
Fernando Alonso wore a small image of Robert Kubica's helmet on his helmet at Jerez on Saturday © Sutton Images
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Fernando Alonso has been bowled over by the relentless reliability of the new Ferrari, but again warned against drawing any conclusions from the fastest lap times at Jerez.

Alonso racked up 131 laps in the F150th Italia on Saturday, on the back of 217 trouble-free laps by Massa over the past two days. With the exception of an oil fire on the third day of testing at Valencia last week, the new Ferrari has had no major issuesand has chalked up more laps than any other car in Jerez.

"It is very important to be able to do so many kilometres one after the other, without experiencing any problems," Alonso said. "It means we can pick up a lot of data which is useful especially when it comes to understanding the tyre behaviour, which is the biggest unknown at this test. I already said it in Valencia and I repeat it now: we must not think about what the others are doing, in terms of times. It is better to focus on our own efforts and then we can see where we are in Bahrain in a month's time."

Alonso wore a helmet dedicated to his friend Robert Kubica on Saturday, who is recovering from a rally accident in hospital.

"I am delighted that Robert's condition is evolving in a positive way, with every passing day," he said. "Now he will need a lot of patience, but the most important thing is he is getting better."

Times

Driver Car Time Laps
1. Nick Heidfeld Renault R31 1:20.361 86
2. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 150th Italia 1:20.493 131
3. Michael Schumacher Mercedes W02 1:21.054 114
4. Lewis Hamilton McLaren MP4-26 1:21.099 36
5. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber C30 1:21.242 84
6. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull RB7 1:21.574 98
7. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso STR6 1:21.681 92
8. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus T128 1:21.711 61
9. Rubens Barrichello Williams FW33 1:22.227 99
10. Paul di Resta Force India VJM-04 1:22.945 64
10. Jerome d'Ambrosio Virgin MVR-02 1:25.471 72

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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