10.02.2004 FERRARI ON TRACK AT JEREZ AND FIORANO AS MINARDI SHAKEDOWN THEIR NEW CAR AT MISANO
This afternoon, Michael Schumacher took to the track at the wheel of an F2004 at Fiorano to kick off testing this week with the new car.
The German driver bedded-in several components which will be used in a test scheduled to take place at Mugello over the next few days. He eventually completed a total of 34 laps around the test track, 18 on the short version of the track, the quickest in a time of 57.113.
At the same time Ferrari were
joining McLaren, BAR, Renault, Jaguar, Sauber and Jordan the Jerez de la
Frontera circuit in southern Spain. Luca Badoer was the sole driver present,
switching between the two F2003-GA at his disposal. The day’s technical
programme centred on tyres and new components for the 2004 season. Badoer
completed a total of 87 laps, his quickest being a 1:18.249.
Once again the new BAR-Honda 006 set the testing pace, with Jenson Button
posting the fastest time of the day with a 1:17.712 and his Japanese team mate
Takuma Sato winding up third after a 1:18.037 lap. Sandwiched between them was
Jarno Trulli's Renault R24, with Badoer's best lap good enough for fourth just
ahead of the McLaren-Mercedes' of Alexander Wurz and David Coulthard.
Development testing of the F2004 will move on to Mugello tomorrow, with Michael Schumacher again at the wheel, while Luca Badoer will continue test at Jerez.
Circuit: Fiorano track, 2.976 km - short course 1.413 km; Driver: Michael Schumacher; Car: F2004; Weather: air temperature 12/6°C, track 15/8°C. Clear skies. Circuit: Jerez circuit, 4.428 km; Driver: Luca Badoer; Car: F2003-GA; Weather: air temperature 10/18°C, track temperature 11/22°C; cloudy.
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ZSOLT BAUMGARTNER GIVES THE NEW MINARDI PS04B ITS FIRST RUN AT MISANO In cool, sunny conditions, near Italy’s picturesque Adriatic coast, European Minardi Cosworth today gave its 2004 Formula One challenger its first run. The Minardi PS04B, as it is designated, is an evolution of last season’s PS03, and if the reliability and pace of the new car at Misano’s Autodromo Santamonica in the hands of Zsolt Baumgartner is anything to go by, the Faenza team has every reason to be pleased with the work that has been accomplished over the winter. The young Hungarian driver covered a total of 64 laps of the sinewy 4.060-km circuit during the course of today, and his best lap, of 1 min 11.080 secs, marked a 2.5-second improvement on the fastest time recorded by the team on the last occasion it visited the track, in early 2002. Gianmaria Bruni takes over the driving duties tomorrow, on the final day of this two-day test.
ZSOLT BAUMGARTNER “It has been a good day of testing. I thought I might improve on my best morning time during the afternoon session, but it was not to be the case. I’m happy with the behaviour of the new car, it is more ‘progressive’ in its driving characteristics than the PS03 I drove in Valencia last month, and I’m also pleased to be feeling increasingly comfortable with both the driving and the team personnel.”
MASSIMO RIVOLA, Team Manager “We feel satisfied with the outcome of today’s testing, as we completed the entire planned technical program, which included both aerodynamic and tyre evaluation work. We also gathered a significant amount of data, which will undoubtedly prove useful as we continue our development work on the new car. Zsolt did a very good job, and Minardi technical staff continue to be impressed by this young driver, who is proving to be both quick and consistent.”
PAUL STODDART, Team Principal “This may have been only a shakedown test of the new car, but Zsolt’s best lap today, of 1 min 11.080 secs, was two-and-a-half seconds faster than the quickest time the team recorded when it was last at Misano, with Mark Webber, in 2002. We take a lot of heart from today’s performance and from that lap time. Zsolt did an excellent job, completing 64 trouble-free laps. It is also noteworthy that today’s times were set on an engine that had run for nearly 700kms, giving us great faith that Cosworth has provided the team with a reliable, powerful engine that will be more than capable of coping with the new, ‘long-distance’ requirements specified by this year’s F1 rules. We were also very pleased with the performance of the Bridgestone tyres today, which undoubtedly contributed to Zsolt’s excellent lap times.”
Location: Autodromo Santamonica, Misano-Adriatico, Italy; Weather: Sunny, fresh, clear sky; Air temperature: 6-14 deg C; Track temperature: 10-16 deg C; Driver(s): Zsolt Baumgartner (HUN); Chassis allocation: PS04B/01; Laps completed: 64/259.8 kms; Fastest lap: 1 min 11.080 secs |