(Sauber F1 Team)
The Sauber F1 Team’s Felipe Nasr was the pace setter on day
3 of the opening Formula One winter test at the Jerez circuit in Spain. The
Brazilian completed 109 laps with a fastest time of 1m 21.545s ending the day
0.213s ahead of Scuderia Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen who completed his day of
running in the new SF15-T.
Speaking about his day, Nasr stated:
‘It was another positive day. We did a lot of
mileage, and we were able to get a better understanding of the car. On top of
that, we used different tyres in different conditions, and we played with the
set-up. In the end I had the chance to do some long-runs to get a feeling
for the car with high fuel loads like they would be in race conditions. It was
important for me to get used to all these different things. Overall they were
two very positive days. I’m glad that I already feel comfortable in the new environment,
and I’m really happy with everything I’ve seen so far with the team. I’m
already looking forward to Barcelona.’
The Swiss based outfit have completed 270 laps heading into
the final day of the Jerez test. Speaking about today’s running, Head of Track
Engineering, Giampaolo Dall’Ara stated:
‘The day was a bit more complicated
than the previous two. In the morning it was mainly down
to the weather conditions. When the track was still damp we
decided to test different wet tyres, and
make some comparisons. In the afternoon we continued
with the set-up work and
some additional scans. We lost
a little bit of time with a minor technical issue,
but, nevertheless, we were able to complete more than 100 laps. In the
end we can be satisfied with the day.’
Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team’s Nico Rosberg was third
fastest completing 151 laps despite a power unit shutdown which briefly brought
his running to a halt.
Felipe Massa was in the Williams Martini Racing Team’s FW37
having taken over from Valtteri Bottas. The Brazilian finished the day in
fourth place with a fastest time of 1m 22.276s completing 71 laps. Speaking
following his running the Brazilian stated:
‘I am happy after a good first day in the car. The FW37 is
another step forward from where we left the FW36, which is promising. I am also
confident in the car set-up. The feeling in the car was good even for a first
impression and it's well balanced. We lost a bit of time in the morning due to
the wet weather so hopefully tomorrow we can continue to get the miles in and
head to Barcelona well prepared.’
Williams Martini Racing’s Chief Test & Support Engineer
Rod Nelson commented the day’s running saying:
‘It's been another good day and good to have Felipe get his
first drive of the FW37 today. We have started to do a little more chassis work
as we continue to work through our plan. Felipe gave us very much the same
feedback as Valtteri did, so it's pleasing that they share the same views and
characteristics as each other on the FW37. Overall it’s been a positive day.’
The Lotus F1 Team’s Pastor Maldonado was fifth fastest
completing 96 laps for the Enstone based outfit ending the day just ahead of
Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz Jnr who completed 136 laps for the Italian
team.
Following a tough start to the day, Infiniti Red Bull Racing’s
Daniel Ricciardo completed 48 laps ending the day in 7th place.
It was a somewhat mixed day for the McLaren-Honda team as
although Fernando Alonso managed to complete 32 laps, the Woking based outfit
were forced to cut short their programme after suffering a loss in water
cooling pressure in the new Honda power unit. Speaking following today’s
running, McLaren Racing Director Eric Boullier stated:
‘Jenson’s
final lap last night made us all feel happier, because we felt we’d cured the
issues that had affected us on Sunday and Monday. This morning, it was a relief
to see the car get out of the garage at 9am, and run without problems for
several hours.
“Fernando’s comments were very positive, too: he said the car
was reacting well to changes, and felt stable. Operationally, we’ve already
covered everything in our programme, but what’s even more positive is that
we’ve been able to carry out a number of longer runs. They’ve shown us that the
car doesn’t have any conceptual or architectural issues.
“It’s good to see that the car is effectively able to run
straight out of the box, without any major issues. That’s the most positive
point of the day.’
The first test of
the pre-season period concludes tomorrow.
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