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The final two days of testing at Jerez only saw McLaren and Williams participate, the other teams deciding they had done all they could in preparation for the season opener in Melbourne. Both teams were represented by the same driver each day; Heikki Kovalainen and Kazuki Nakajima sharing the circuit in Spain. The times set were initially off the pace from previous days, but by Thursday afternoon both drivers found speed and got the times down to a respectable 77s. Continue Reading…

The third day of testing completed yesterday; the lateness of this post being put down to wanting a day off. But the news isn’t new – Jenson Button once again showed promise in the new Brawn BGP 001 by putting at the top of the timing sheet. Button completed 114 laps en route to the top and outclassed Nico Rosberg in the Williams by 0.2s. The Brawn was the only car yesterday (and of the test so far) to dip into the sub-77s lap times. Continue Reading…

The second of the final test of the pre-season wrapped up earlier, and this time Fernando Alonso managed to set the fastest lap in the Renault R29. Alonso posted a time in the 78 second frame and was 0.055s faster than the chasing Rubens Barrichello. Alonso lost a lot of time during yesterday’s session after an accident meant he had to wait in the garage for most of the afternoon. Today though, the Spaniard was enjoying a more productive time, completing 103 laps to become the second busiest driver of the day. Continue Reading…

So this is it, the final test session before the 2009 Formula One championship kicks off in Melbourne at the end of the month. Not all teams are present in Jerez, some deciding that they have done enough running beforehand. However, Williams, Renault and Brawn were in Spain, and Rubens Barrichello once again put his car at the top of the timing sheet, just ahead of Fernando Alonso in the Renault. Barrichello was also the busiest man of the day, completing 107 laps. Continue Reading…

Last year I wrote a post comparing the pre-season testing times from 2008 to the final testing times set at the other end of the year. The post was meant to demonstrate the change in pace between the beginning and end of the year, although admittedly with the teams running very different cars prior to the end of the year, the times were hard compare. However, with all the cars now done at Barcelona this week, I thought I would do another comparison. Continue Reading…

Brawn GP have once again topped the testing timing sheet, this time with Rubens Barrichello steering the new BGP 001. The Brazilian driver set an astonishing lap time that like Jenson’s the day previous, was well clear of the others. This is the last day of testing at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, and some teams have indicated they may squeeze in another run before sending the cars to Australia. Continue Reading…

The third day of testing wrapped up earlier with Jenson Button topping the timing sheet in the new Brawn GP car, the Briton lapping Circuit de Catalunya a full second faster than nearest rival Felipe Massa in the Ferrari. It wasn’t all smiles in Spain though as Lewis Hamilton ended the day at the bottom of the list, his McLaren having to be recovered from the wall after an off at Turn 2. The front of the MP4-24 suffered damage as the left side of the wing hit the barrier. Continue Reading…

The second day of the Barcelona test wrapped up earlier this afternoon and Kimi Raikkonen returned his Ferrari to the top of the timing sheet, ahead of a very fast Kazuki Nakajima and an impressive run from Rubens Barrichello in the new Brawn BGP 001. McLaren continued to worry with Heikki Kovalainen only managing ninth, the MP4-24 possibly struggling and 1.6s shy of Raikkonen’s dominating pace. Not all may be as it seems though. Continue Reading…

My apologies for the late arrival of this post, but here is a quick run down of the runners and riders from the Barcelona test that commenced yesterday. It was the first time that all the 2009 cars were on the same track together and while the times should still be taken with a pinch of salt, we can at last see who is doing what in comparison to others. And while Brawn GP enjoyed their first full day of testing, Nick Heidfeld set the pace in the BMW F1.09. Continue Reading…

Autosport have exclusively revealed the new Brawn GP BGP 001. Jenson Button was at Silverstone today following the announcement at midnight that Honda had transferred the team to Ross Brawn, ensuring its survival. Powered by a Mercedes-Benz engine, Button completed a few tours of the Northamptonshire circuit to run systems checks and to make sure the car actually works as it should. It is the first running the team has done in 2009. Continue Reading…