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Fernando Alonso has tested a McLaren MP4-21 at the final session of the year today. In a suprise outing for the team, Alonso went out on track in plain white overalls and helmet in an unbranded McLaren Mercedes to acclimatise himself to Bridgestone tyres and get some running in the car before the new year.
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Pedro De La Rosa charged his McLaren to the top of the time sheets in the second day of testing for the team at Spain’s Jerez track today. The Spaniard who subbed for Juan Pablo Montoya last season lapped the circuit 0.3s quicker than Jarno Trulli’s Toyota, who was himself being chased down by the Honda of James Rossiter. McLaren completed a productive day with Lewis Hamilton finishing in fourth place, just 0.04s behind Honda’s new test driver. Continue Reading…

Winter testing has been dominating the news of late, and some smaller stories have been sidelined by Alonso’s testing ban and Raikkonen’s drinking habits. But I thought I would take five minutes just to quickly skim through the other items that have made the front pages of Formula One websites this week…

…McLaren’s request for Renault to allow Fernando Alonso to test was denied by team boss Flavio Briatore. In a statement made to the press, the fiery Italian chief told reporters that McLaren should have sent the proposal to the correct address (instead of doing it via the media) and told the listening journalists that the lack of testing for Alonso won’t make a difference because Renault will beat him (and McLaren) anyway. Tough words from Briatore, but it is no suprise that Renault have reacted this way - why would they help a rival who ’stole’ their man?
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Triple ChampCar champion Sebastian Bourdais enjoyed a day behind the wheel of a Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One car today, completing 82 laps of the Jerez circuit and setting a lap time just 0.7s behind regular driver Vitantonio Liuzzi. It has been four years since Bourdais last drove an F1 car - then for Arrows and Renault - and not able to join the ranks of Formula One, the Frenchman decided to dominate the American ChampCar series instead.
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Day one (two for Toyota who started early this time) at Jerez saw Renault’s Heikki Kovalainen top the time sheets for the first time since winter testing began last month, setting a time half a second quicker than that of Luca Badoer in the Ferrari. The test - which is the last of the year - saw all teams bar Spyker on circuit, and with the still absent Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso, test drivers pounded the Spanish track all day developing their cars in preparation for 2007. Continue Reading…

Jenson Button is to miss the final test of the year at Jerez later this week, it has been reported. Jenson has missed the two previous sessions because he sustained a rib injury while karting during the off-season. In order for his injury to fully heal, it has been advised that Jenson sit out of the tests, instead handing reigns over to team mate and Grand Prix winner Rubens Barrichello and newbie test driver James Rossiter.

Both Honda drivers have been doing well, and it appears (from the outside at least) that the Japanese teams’ winter programme is going okay. Obviously the teams are running slightly modified 2006 cars while they wait for their 2007 spec cars to be finalised and produced, but in the last day at the most recent test session, Barrichello and Rossiter posted first and second fastest laps. But this isn’t what I’m really blogging about today. Continue Reading…

He’s a Formula 3000 title winner, and a three times ChampCar champion. He has tested for the now defunct Arrows team, and also for reigning champions Renault. Every time he has driven a Formula One car he has impressed. So why isn’t Sebastian Bourdais a Formula One driver?

Bourdais is in the news again because it has been announced today that he will test for Scuderia Toro Rosso in Jerez later this week. However, despite the Frenchman’s talent at single seater racing, no Formula One drives have come his way yet and he has remained in America with the Newman-Haas team, breaking records and winning titles. Continue Reading…

And in case anybody thinks I said that - I didn’t. No, in fact these are the words of Renault’s Technical Director - Bob Bell. Bell was speaking prior to the start of the last test session of the year at Jerez, and was commenting on Giancarlo Fisichella, former partner to twice champion Fernando Alonso. However, with Alonso’s defection to McLaren for 2007, Fisichella has been promoted to team leader, partnering young Finnish rookie Heikki Kovalainen.
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Both Stirling Moss and Michael Schumacher have received awards from F1’s governing body - the FIA - at the annual ceremony held in Monaco. Sir Stirling collected a gold medal in recognition of his contribution to motorsport throughout his long and illustrious career. Stirling is often regarded as one of the best drivers to have never won the Formula One world drivers championship, finishing runner up in four separate campaigns.
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In the third day of testing at Spain’s Jerez circuit, it was Rubens Barrichello who set the fastest lap to head the time sheets, driving the all-black Honda test car. Honda’s test driver James Rossiter rolled into second, just a tenth slower than his Brazilian team mate, and two tenths faster than McLaren man Lewis Hamilton. McLaren were continuing to acclimatise themselves to Bridgestone rubber, who are now the sole tyre supplier to all Formula One teams. McLaren’s second driver present at the circuit today - Pedro De La Rosa - ended the day in fifth, but only 0.02s behind Hamilton, and sandwiching Toyota’s Ralf Schumacher who set 1m20.339s.
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