The
first test of the season for Scuderia Ferrari and the
ten other Formula 1 teams came to a close today in
Andalusia. Therefore one third of the 2013 testing
programme is now completed: with Felipe Massa completing
the first three days and then Pedro De La Rosa running
the final one today, the team completed an intense
programme which will continue on track in two weeks’
time in Barcelona.
There was a gearbox glitch this morning which sidelined
Pedro after he had had done just two laps. After a long
stop in the garage while the mechanics fixed the
problem, the car was back on track to complete the
afternoon programme, which was given over mainly to
analysing various aerodynamic configurations and set-up
tests, as well as the usual long runs.
"All in all it's been a positive day for me, I finally
got a feel for the car and that will be very important
when it comes to comparing the data with the simulator
as we develop the car,” said the Spaniard. "We are not
yet where we want to be on our simulation and there will
be a lot of work to do, but that's why I've been taken
on and in my own small way I hope to do my best to
contribute to the progress of the Scuderia. I had a lot
of mixed feelings today: I was very excited to drive the
car but when I got out after the first two laps I was
not exactly happy. All my life I've been waiting for an
opportunity like this and to see it end after just a few
corners was definitely not nice, especially because I
wasn't sure that we would be able to continue with the
programme. But then the team did an amazing job and it
was vital to get back on track given how few days are
available to us."
De La Rosa eventually managed 51 laps on the final day,
with a best time of 1.20.316. The quickest time was set
by Kimi Raikkonen (1.18.148) in the Lotus, ahead of
Jules Bianchi (1.18.175) in the Force India and
Sebastian Vettel (1.18.656) in the Red Bull.
Felipe Massa gets the
prize for being quickest over the whole four days, his
work at the wheel providing the Maranello crew with
their first impressions of the new car and delivering
valuable data for the coming session in Barcelona. The
Brazilian’s best lap of 1.17.879 was set yesterday, on
the last of his three days in the cockpit of the F138.
His workload involved evaluating different exhaust
configurations, endurance runs and a comparison of the
various Pirelli tyres on offer.
Tomorrow, there will
be the usual debriefing with the engineers who followed
the sessions from home and they will be joined by Team
Principal Stefano Domenicali to go over the past four
days of testing. At first glance, the data obtained
confirms Massa’s first impressions who rated the F138 as
an easier car to drive, more stable and better balanced
compared to the F2012. Having said so, the solutions the
team tested will require in-depth research, a task that
went on for much of the test session and which will
continue in Maranello and in the next test at the
Catalunya circuit. For the time being, the direction in
which to move forward seems very clear.
In Jerez the car racked up a decent number of kilometres
although they are never enough for the engineers and the
work in the garage was never ending in the attempt to
test the different technical solutions planned ahead of
the test. There are areas that definitely need
improving, but the first set-up changes made between
Tuesday and Friday delivered positive results so the
team can be optimistic. Nevertheless, it is paramount to
keep the feet on the ground as every year the same rule
applies: Felipe’s fastest lap of the week counts for
little and one must be cautious as there are never
accurate benchmark levels. Now the work must proceed
quickly and calmly to improve the car and to ensure that
reliability can also be counted on as a given, just as
it was in 2012. Between now and Melbourne there is just
over a month and before then come two sessions at
Montmelò to prepare for the opening round as well as
possible.
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