Massa completes Barcelona test on top
#1
02-21-2011, 11:47 PM
Massa completes Barcelona test on top
Massa completes Barcelona test on top - GPUpdate.net
Ferrari and Felipe Massa topped the timesheets as the fourth and final day of Barcelona testing drew to a close on Monday. Behind the Brazilian, long-time pace-setter Mark Webber was forced to settle for second with Red Bull as Toro Rosso’s Sébastien Buemi completed the top three.
Uncertainly surrounded the Barcelona paddock on Monday, with both team members and media personnel alike not knowing where the opening Grand Prix of the season will be staged and the political conflict of Bahrain very much overshadowing the on-track action, with a late statement eventually confirming the expected.
As the initial installation laps began at 9am, ambient temperatures of just 4°C (39°F) ensured that all jackets remained very much in use, with figures increasing to highs of 16°C (61°F) across the afternoon. Although the sun did break through at times, the day proved to be mostly overcast, especially after the customary lunch break.
However, there was no track action for Hispania Racing, which – according to paddock sources close to GPUpdate.net – left the circuit at around 2am, having declared that its programme for this particular test was over; that left a sizeable space in the paddock between the team trucks of Team Lotus and Virgin Racing.
However, the extra breathing room for Team Lotus did not prove successful when Jarno Trulli lost control and crashed at Turn 9, Campsa – the same corner which claimed now team-mate Heikki Kovalainen in the 2008 Spanish Grand Prix. With the left-front quarter of the Italian’s car having been destroyed, the Norfolk squad was unable to continue after only one and a quarter hours of running time. It has since been confirmed to GPUpdate.net that a mechanical issue was the reason for the accident.
The Toro Rosso of Sébastien Buemi was topping the timesheets at 11am, with Adrian Sutil and Felipe Massa completing the top three for Force India and Ferrari. Following the one-hour lunch break, running resumed at 2 o’clock as a number of race simulations began. As 4pm approached, Mark Webber led the way for Red Bull ahead of Buemi and Williams’ Pastor Maldonado.
Just over 25 minutes later, the red flags were deployed once again as Maldonado ground to a halt just after the pit entrance. Following a seven-minute stoppage, the action had resumed for no more than 19 minutes before the Mercedes of Michael Schumacher stopped at Turn 10, parking on the old track loop and also requiring a lift back to the pits.
The final green flag of the day flew with just 12 minutes of running time left, with Massa having gone quickest with a lap time of 1:22.625, a large eight tenths up on Webber as Buemi, the Renault of Nick Heidfeld and McLaren of Lewis Hamilton rounded out the leading five. Massa also found himself at the top of the list for most laps completed, with Schumacher’s late stoppage preventing him from taking that particular statistic.
Ferrari and Felipe Massa topped the timesheets as the fourth and final day of Barcelona testing drew to a close on Monday. Behind the Brazilian, long-time pace-setter Mark Webber was forced to settle for second with Red Bull as Toro Rosso’s Sébastien Buemi completed the top three.
Uncertainly surrounded the Barcelona paddock on Monday, with both team members and media personnel alike not knowing where the opening Grand Prix of the season will be staged and the political conflict of Bahrain very much overshadowing the on-track action, with a late statement eventually confirming the expected.
As the initial installation laps began at 9am, ambient temperatures of just 4°C (39°F) ensured that all jackets remained very much in use, with figures increasing to highs of 16°C (61°F) across the afternoon. Although the sun did break through at times, the day proved to be mostly overcast, especially after the customary lunch break.
However, there was no track action for Hispania Racing, which – according to paddock sources close to GPUpdate.net – left the circuit at around 2am, having declared that its programme for this particular test was over; that left a sizeable space in the paddock between the team trucks of Team Lotus and Virgin Racing.
However, the extra breathing room for Team Lotus did not prove successful when Jarno Trulli lost control and crashed at Turn 9, Campsa – the same corner which claimed now team-mate Heikki Kovalainen in the 2008 Spanish Grand Prix. With the left-front quarter of the Italian’s car having been destroyed, the Norfolk squad was unable to continue after only one and a quarter hours of running time. It has since been confirmed to GPUpdate.net that a mechanical issue was the reason for the accident.
The Toro Rosso of Sébastien Buemi was topping the timesheets at 11am, with Adrian Sutil and Felipe Massa completing the top three for Force India and Ferrari. Following the one-hour lunch break, running resumed at 2 o’clock as a number of race simulations began. As 4pm approached, Mark Webber led the way for Red Bull ahead of Buemi and Williams’ Pastor Maldonado.
Just over 25 minutes later, the red flags were deployed once again as Maldonado ground to a halt just after the pit entrance. Following a seven-minute stoppage, the action had resumed for no more than 19 minutes before the Mercedes of Michael Schumacher stopped at Turn 10, parking on the old track loop and also requiring a lift back to the pits.
The final green flag of the day flew with just 12 minutes of running time left, with Massa having gone quickest with a lap time of 1:22.625, a large eight tenths up on Webber as Buemi, the Renault of Nick Heidfeld and McLaren of Lewis Hamilton rounded out the leading five. Massa also found himself at the top of the list for most laps completed, with Schumacher’s late stoppage preventing him from taking that particular statistic.
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