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The
pre-season testing programme for the 2010 Formula 1
World Championship concluded yesterday with the
fifteenth and final day of testing, and the fourth at
the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, was all the
teams and drivers put their cards quite clearly on the
table. And those who had foreseen a balance of power
were right: the first eight on today’s time sheet, who
all carried out a qualifying simulation, are less then
half a second apart. The fastest was Hamilton
(1.20.472), while the eighth was Kobayashi (1.20.911).
Further behind there are Buemi (1.22.135), Kubica
(1.23.175), Kovalainen (1.25.521) and Di Grassi
(1.26.150). The almost 15,000 spectators who came
yesterday to see the tests were enthusiastic and in fact
over 66,000 spectators came during the four days.
Felipe Massa,
who debuted with the F10 at the start of February in
Valencia, drove yesterday’s third fastest time in 1.20.539.
The Brazilian driver worked on the performance and the best
set up of the single-seater and concentrated later on the
Bridgestone tyres’ behaviour on the long run. Massa drove a
total of 114 laps during the final day.
Massa was
extremely satisfied when he met the journalists at the end
of his second day of testing here on the Circuit de
Catalunya. "We did what we had planned to do at the
beginning of this month of testing: we’re very happy with
the work done,” the Brazilian said. "We wanted a competitive
car and I think we’ve achieved our goal. We‘ve reached a
good level of reliability, which is very important."
"It’s difficult
to say who worked best," Massa continued. “Today the time
sheet says Hamilton, but we’re all very close together, it’s
just tenths of a second. I am very satisfied with the car,
when we simulated the qualifying and when we drove with lots
of fuel on board. I think that we’re part of the group, who
did well in these tests, something you could see on this
last day of testing, when many simulated the qualifying. I
don’t agree at all with those who say we’re the strongest: I
think we’re there, together with some other teams. I can’t
say that we’re going to Bahrain to win, but I know that
we’ll fight for it. We had several aerodynamic updates here,
which improved the car’s performance. We now have to
continue working in this direction. It’s important to be
ahead at the end of the year, not now. The same thing is
true regarding the car: I was lucky to be able to drive
several very strong Ferrari single-seaters and if the F10 is
the best I’ve ever driven I’ll only know after the race in
Abu Dhabi!"
After 15 days of
testing in Spain one unknown factor is still there: the
tyres’ behaviour under high temperatures, like those the
teams will find in Bahrain and Malaysia during the first
part of the season. "The situation might be a little bit
different, but during these sessions we got a good idea of
how the tyres are working this year," said Massa. "Maybe a
couple of times, like yesterday, it was a little too cold
for a certain type of tyre, but we could still collect many
useful information, which will help us during the
Championship. Their behaviour will also influence the
strategies: if there is lots of wear, maybe there will be
more stops, but we’ll see that race after race. This year,
because the fuel aspect has been liberalised, the moments of
the pit stops will be even more unpredictable and will
influence the results much more."
Sunday
testing times from Barcelona:
1. Hamilton 1.20.472 (134 laps)
2. Webber 1.20.496 (61)
3. Massa 1.20.539 (114)
4. Sutil 1.20.611 (100)
5. Vettel 1.20.667 (76)
6. Schumacher 1.20.745 (123)
7. Barrichello 1.20.870 (84)
8. Kobayashi 1.20.911 (67)
9. Buemi 1.22.135 (88)
10. Kubica 1.23.175 (107)
11. Kovalainen 1.25.251 (65)
12. Di Grassi 1.26.160 (49)
Scuderia Ferrari
Testing Details, 28/02/2010; Circuit: Catalunya Circuit,
Montmelò – 4.655 km; Driver: Felipe Massa; Car: Ferrari F10;
Weather: air temperature 15/19 °C, track temperature 15/23
°C. Overcast.
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