Americans Rossi and Hildebrand join F1 rookie test in Jerez
Nine Formula One teams were in action at the Jerez circuit in Spain on Tuesday. This is the only full test between the Abu Dhabi season finale last month and the start of proper testing with 2010 machinery in February
This week's three-day session is interesting because the FIA restricted it to rookies, or officially, drivers who have started no more than two Grands Prix.
There are one or two familiar faces in the lineup, including GP2 Series champion Nico Hulkenberg, who has a Williams F1 race seat for next season. But most of the drivers are getting their first taste of F1 power, in many cases as a reward for success in a junior championship. For some, it may prove to be their only chance to show what they can do.
As usual, it is difficult to know how much to read into the times, as cars ran with different fuel loads and some drivers did not necessarily drive when track conditions were best. In addition, drivers testing for Brawn GP, Force India and McLaren shared a car during the day.
What matters in a test such as this--even more than raw speed--is the impression drivers make on the teams in terms of approach, feedback, and ability to learn and improve.
FIA Formula Two champion Andy Soucek was quickest on the first day; the Spaniard's drive with Williams is a reward for his title. Mercedes DTM driver and 2008 EuroSeries Formula Three champ Paul di Resta was second quickest for Force India. The Scot, a cousin of IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti, has previously driven for McLaren. Fellow DTM racer and McLaren test veteran Gary Paffett was third fastest.
Other potential future stars in action on Tuesday included British F3 champion Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull Racing, EuroSeries F3 champ Jules Bianchi at Ferrari (some 41 years after his great-uncle Lucien's last Grand Prix in Mexico), Japanese F3 champ Marcus Ericsson at Brawn, and Formula Renault 3.5 champ Bertrand Baguette at Renault. British IndyCar driver Mike Conway, formerly a Honda tester, returned to have a go in the Brawn.
Two American drivers--both Californians--are participating in the test, with Alexander Rossi driving for BMW Sauber (in the Swiss team's final outing with a Munich powerplant) and Indy Lights champ J. R. Hildebrand, 21, for Force India. The latter only drove in the morning and was fourth quickest when he handed the car to di Resta. He will have another half day on Wednesday.
“I was really impressed with the ability of the car," Hildebrand said. "It is different in every way to what I'm used to, both in terms of the outright speed, but also in terms of the characteristics of the car and how it behaves, brakes and drives through corners.
“Having raced on ovals I'm used to a high top-speed, so that wasn't too much of a shock, but the amount of load it runs and how much speed you can carry through the corner took some getting used to. The track was clearly improving throughout the morning, so based on the program we were running, in terms of relative pace we were doing pretty well. I felt I was getting there and was starting to get the most out of the car, particularly towards the end of the morning.
"I think we still had some free time in the car. I lost my best lap by using a bit too much of the road and on my last run I just flat spotted the tires straight out of the pits, which made a drastic difference in how good the car was and I really couldn't get the ultimate lap time from it. It was a little bit frustrating from the standpoint of losing the last two runs, but we were fifth quickest when my day was effectively done, so I was pretty happy with my first outing."
Rossi, 18, won his ride by virtue of his success in last year's Formula BMW World Final. The team was happy with his performance, and his times reflected the fact that he did not go out with an ultralow fuel load.
“I very much enjoyed this day,” he said. “It is impressive what the car does, how predictable and precise its reactions are, and how high the overall grip level is. But I have to admit I am also a little bit disappointed because being a racing driver, you always want to be the fastest! I think in the afternoon we didn't manage to find the perfect balance.
"Physically, I have to say it was as demanding as I expected it would be. The power steering is a great help compared to GP2, but the g forces obviously are higher.”
Eighteen-year-old Mexican Esteban Gutierrez will replace Rossi on Wednesday.
Jerez F1 Test Day One Results (all timing unofficial):
1. Andy Soucek, Williams-Toyota, 1m 19.158s, 87 laps
2. Paul di Resta, Force India-Mercedes, 1:19.369, 46
3. Gary Paffett, McLaren-Mercedes, 1:19.426, 54
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing-Renault, 1:19.534, 113
5. Jules Bianchi, Ferrari, 1:19.626, 91
6. Mike Conway, Brawn GP-Mercedes, 1:19.920, 58
7. Alexander Rossi, BMW Sauber, 1:20.227, 82
8. Marcus Ericsson, Brawn-Mercedes 1:20.333 50
9. Bertrand Baguette, Renault, 1:20.511, 105
10. J. R. Hildebrand, Force India-Mercedes, 1:20.537, 49
11. Oliver Turvey, McLaren-Mercedes, 1:20.856, 27
12. Brendon Hartley, Scuderia Toro Rosso, 1:21.325, 69
Source: Americans Rossi and Hildebrand join F1 rookie test in Jerez
This week's three-day session is interesting because the FIA restricted it to rookies, or officially, drivers who have started no more than two Grands Prix.
There are one or two familiar faces in the lineup, including GP2 Series champion Nico Hulkenberg, who has a Williams F1 race seat for next season. But most of the drivers are getting their first taste of F1 power, in many cases as a reward for success in a junior championship. For some, it may prove to be their only chance to show what they can do.
As usual, it is difficult to know how much to read into the times, as cars ran with different fuel loads and some drivers did not necessarily drive when track conditions were best. In addition, drivers testing for Brawn GP, Force India and McLaren shared a car during the day.
What matters in a test such as this--even more than raw speed--is the impression drivers make on the teams in terms of approach, feedback, and ability to learn and improve.
FIA Formula Two champion Andy Soucek was quickest on the first day; the Spaniard's drive with Williams is a reward for his title. Mercedes DTM driver and 2008 EuroSeries Formula Three champ Paul di Resta was second quickest for Force India. The Scot, a cousin of IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti, has previously driven for McLaren. Fellow DTM racer and McLaren test veteran Gary Paffett was third fastest.
Other potential future stars in action on Tuesday included British F3 champion Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull Racing, EuroSeries F3 champ Jules Bianchi at Ferrari (some 41 years after his great-uncle Lucien's last Grand Prix in Mexico), Japanese F3 champ Marcus Ericsson at Brawn, and Formula Renault 3.5 champ Bertrand Baguette at Renault. British IndyCar driver Mike Conway, formerly a Honda tester, returned to have a go in the Brawn.
Two American drivers--both Californians--are participating in the test, with Alexander Rossi driving for BMW Sauber (in the Swiss team's final outing with a Munich powerplant) and Indy Lights champ J. R. Hildebrand, 21, for Force India. The latter only drove in the morning and was fourth quickest when he handed the car to di Resta. He will have another half day on Wednesday.
“I was really impressed with the ability of the car," Hildebrand said. "It is different in every way to what I'm used to, both in terms of the outright speed, but also in terms of the characteristics of the car and how it behaves, brakes and drives through corners.
“Having raced on ovals I'm used to a high top-speed, so that wasn't too much of a shock, but the amount of load it runs and how much speed you can carry through the corner took some getting used to. The track was clearly improving throughout the morning, so based on the program we were running, in terms of relative pace we were doing pretty well. I felt I was getting there and was starting to get the most out of the car, particularly towards the end of the morning.
"I think we still had some free time in the car. I lost my best lap by using a bit too much of the road and on my last run I just flat spotted the tires straight out of the pits, which made a drastic difference in how good the car was and I really couldn't get the ultimate lap time from it. It was a little bit frustrating from the standpoint of losing the last two runs, but we were fifth quickest when my day was effectively done, so I was pretty happy with my first outing."
Rossi, 18, won his ride by virtue of his success in last year's Formula BMW World Final. The team was happy with his performance, and his times reflected the fact that he did not go out with an ultralow fuel load.
“I very much enjoyed this day,” he said. “It is impressive what the car does, how predictable and precise its reactions are, and how high the overall grip level is. But I have to admit I am also a little bit disappointed because being a racing driver, you always want to be the fastest! I think in the afternoon we didn't manage to find the perfect balance.
"Physically, I have to say it was as demanding as I expected it would be. The power steering is a great help compared to GP2, but the g forces obviously are higher.”
Eighteen-year-old Mexican Esteban Gutierrez will replace Rossi on Wednesday.
Jerez F1 Test Day One Results (all timing unofficial):
1. Andy Soucek, Williams-Toyota, 1m 19.158s, 87 laps
2. Paul di Resta, Force India-Mercedes, 1:19.369, 46
3. Gary Paffett, McLaren-Mercedes, 1:19.426, 54
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing-Renault, 1:19.534, 113
5. Jules Bianchi, Ferrari, 1:19.626, 91
6. Mike Conway, Brawn GP-Mercedes, 1:19.920, 58
7. Alexander Rossi, BMW Sauber, 1:20.227, 82
8. Marcus Ericsson, Brawn-Mercedes 1:20.333 50
9. Bertrand Baguette, Renault, 1:20.511, 105
10. J. R. Hildebrand, Force India-Mercedes, 1:20.537, 49
11. Oliver Turvey, McLaren-Mercedes, 1:20.856, 27
12. Brendon Hartley, Scuderia Toro Rosso, 1:21.325, 69
Source: Americans Rossi and Hildebrand join F1 rookie test in Jerez
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