Scuderia Toro Rosso have had to increase their workforce ahead of 2010 to accommodate the fact that they are designing and building the car themselves, and this, we all presumed, would result in something a little different. Unusually though, the new car looks strikingly similar to the RB6, including all the little details that have made Adrian Newey – the designer of many championship winning cars over the years – a well-respected car designer.

So similar are the two cars in fact, that the studio photos released by the teams seem to have intentionally shown the cars from different angles. Not that I am in any way cynical, mind. But aside from the fact that the two machines bear an uncanny resemblance, the STR5 does look to be an interesting car. Of course, the RB5 was generally regarded as one of the best chassis in 2009, if not the best over the course of the whole year. The car sports a revised front wing and nose, sidepods and shark-fin engine cover.

The livery has seen a minor make-over, the first in quite some time. The front of the STR5 has more red on it, with flowing gold lines stretching over the moncoque and around the cockpit. The red bull maintains his place on the engine cover, as does the Red Bull Cola sponsorship. Again though, Scuderia Toro Rosso are relying on funding from the parent company, as very few other sponsors can be seen adorning the car.

Scuderia Toro Rosso have retained their driver pairing for another year, partnering Sebastien Buemi with Jaime Alguersuari. Buemi did quite well in 2009 and certainly performed better than I was expecting. Collecting points in his first race (albeit thanks to Lewis Hamilton) and also picking up a few more in China, Brazil and Abu Dhabi, the young Swiss pilot deserved to keep his seat at the Red Bull junior team.

Jaime Alguersuari too did reasonably well when you consider he joined the team partway through the year and had previously never driven a Formula One car around a circuit. Although points failed to come his way, and only three race finishes are marked on his record from eight attempts, the fact the Spaniard didn’t do anything particularly outrageous is impressive unto itself.

It will be interesting to see how the RB STR5 stacks up against its rivals, and whether the young driver pairing can be mature enough to become solid and reliable racers. The chassis, if indeed different to Red Bull’s, will have to be developed differently and this in itself will present many challenges to the team. The engine is solid though, the Ferrari 056 proving reliable and worthy of winning races. I think the Faenza-based team are going to have their work cut out though if they want to beat rival team Force India. Instead, I fear Scuderia Toro Rosso are going to be charging around with the newcomers to the sport.

Scuderia Toro Rosso’s car designation system refers to the initials of the team name, STR, and an incremental numbering system that for 2010, has reached 5. Hence, STR5.

Original article by BlogF1.

Meet The Cars: Scuderia Toro Rosso STR5

When Vijay Mallya announced that Fisichella was to leave his team with immediate effect, the words spoken seemed to imply that the three-time race winner wouldn’t be retained for next year, saying that this deal would secure Giancarlo’s future long-term future. And so Force India lose one Italian, but gain another.

Liuzzi’s time with Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso was dogged with uncompetitive machinery, but at the times the Italian impressed despite being relatively inexperienced. Vitantonio managed to score a point on his debut , but this only came about after the BARs of Jenson Button and Takuma Sato were disqualified 10 days after the event at an FIA hearing.

The following year and after Red Bull had purchased the Minardi team, Liuzzi was given a full-time seat alongside American racer Scott Speed. Although the car wasn’t overly competitive, Liuzzi again managed to score and generally out-performed his team mate. The point Liuzzi earned at the US Grand Prix was the team’s only point that year.

In 2007, the Scuderia Toro Rosso car started to improve after the Red Bull parent squad started to push parts down the chain to the B-Team. The STR gradually got better as the season progressed and Liuzzi again scored points with a sixth place at the Chinese Grand Prix. However, towards the end of the year Scott Speed abruptly left the team and Red Bull managed to acquire Sebastian Vettel from BMW. Vettel outshone Liuzzi almost straight away and in the same Chinese Grand Prix where Vitantonio had scored his best result to date, Vettel went one better and took fourth and the lion’s share of points.

Scuderia Toro Rosso replaced Liuzzi with Sebastien Bourdais for the 2008 season and retained Vettel for another year. Vitantonio moved to Force India to become their test and reserve driver with the hope of being promoted at some point during his tenure with the Silverstone-based squad. With the departure of Fisichella, Mallya has given Tonio this opportunity.

I’m delighted to give Tonio the opportunity to get back into a race seat, which I know he has been itching to do for the past two years.

Force India is now in a very competitive position and we need a driver who can continue this momentum. This will be the chance for Tonio to demonstrate to both the team and the field that he has the commitment, speed and professionalism to perform and I am sure he will seize this opportunity. Vijay Mallya.

Liuzzi made a point of stating that his promotion is related to the accident Felipe Massa suffered, but he is of course pleased to be promoted to the race team.

I can’t wait to get back into the car in race trim, particularly at my home Grand Prix in Monza. I really appreciate the opportunity Vijay has given me, particularly now Force India has a great car that’s performing very well.

Although it’s unfortunate that this came about as an direct result of Felipe’s accident, this is my opportunity to show people what I can do and I’m really looking forward to it. Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Liuzzi has taken part in a couple of tests for the team prior to the season beginning earlier in the year, and more recently did some straight-line running in the VJM02, so the Italian has driven the car and should have a better idea of how it handles than Luca Badoer did of the F60 he was charged with prior to Fisichella joining.

The Italian Grand Prix this upcoming weekend will feature three Italian pilots, with Jarno Trulli in the Toyota, Giancarlo Fisichella in the Ferrari and now Vitantonio Liuzzi in the Force India.

Original article by BlogF1.

Force India Confirm Vitantonio Liuzzi As Fisichella’s Replacement

Image © Motorsport.com/xpb.cc.

Original article by BlogF1.

Caption Contest: #95

Many, many years ago, Formula One pilots would often compete in two championships throughout the course of the year, with many racing in the Tasman series over the European winter, or occasionally cropping up in the former Formula Two series. However, as demands on Formula One drivers grew, so the decline in dovetailing championships began. With a ban on in-season testing though, Jaime probably does have the time to compete in both series, and although hard work it will be, Alguersuari is determined to finish off the year with Carlin Motorsport in the World Series by Renault.

I would like to thank Red Bull for giving me this great opportunity to race in Formula One. Ever since I started racing this has been my dream and thanks to the Red Bull Junior Programme I will now realise my ambition of lining up on a Grand Prix grid.

I am aware that I’m facing a very tough challenge, because coming into Formula 1 is never easy, coming into Formula One in the middle of a season is even harder and doing so without any testing is really difficult. But already I feel that I am getting great support from the team, who have quite a reputation for looking after rookie drivers. Jaime Alguersuari.

Red Bull’s stated aim for Scuderia Toro Rosso is that, when possible, it should be used to provide a seat for products of its Young Driver Programme. We therefore chose Alguersuari as the most mature driver currently in the programme.

I am well aware that over the next few months the team and Jaime will face a major challenge, especially because of the testing ban. But Red Bull is always ready for a new challenge.

I do not expect anything from him for at least his first three races, during which he has to get used to the car, the team and to the Formula One environment. Franz Tost.

Trevor Carlin was very proud of the young Spaniard, praising his maturity and talent, and also pointing out that the World Series by Renault has given Scuderia Toro Rosso two drivers in recent times, Sebastian Vettel being the other.

We’re very proud to see another one of our Red Bull drivers make the step up to Formula One, and Jaime is following in the footsteps of Sebastian Vettel, who also made the transition from our World Series team to a race seat at Toro Rosso.

It will be a tough learning curve for Jaime this year, but he is mature enough to learn quickly and make the most of this great opportunity. Jaime intends to continue racing with us in World Series this year, but obviously his F1 commitments will take priority. Trevor Carlin.

Jaime will indeed have a very steep leaning curve, and with a ban on in-season testing his job will be made that much harder. The only time Alguersuari will able to drive the STR4 is on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of race weekends. Also on the agenda will be learning some of the circuits, although many drivers have stated in the past that it only takes a few laps to understand a new track; Damon Hill once stated nine laps was all that was needed.

This is also the first time in a while that a team has made an in-season change of driver, Scuderia Toro Rosso having given popular French driver Sebastien Bourdais his marching orders last week. The last time a team made a mid-season change was back in 2007, when Alex Wurz retired just prior to the final race of the year, and Kazuki Nakajima was given a slightly early promotion before racing for the team full time in 2008.

Also in that season, Scuderia Toro Rosso waved goodbye to Scott Speed amid accusations of assault or threatening behaviour. Spyker ditched Christijan Albers over a problem with a sponsor’s payment and replaced the Dutch pilot with Sakon Yamamoto, and Sebastian Vettel subbed for an injured Robert Kubica in the US grand prix.

Original article by BlogF1.

Jaime Alguersuari Confirmed At Scuderia Toro Rosso

As previously mentioned in the speculative article before the announcement had been made, Bourdais hasn’t enjoyed the success he had hoped for in his transition from American Open Wheel racing to Formula One. Although results were plentiful while Sebastien was driving in the Champ Car World Series, the Frenchman has struggled to come to terms with last year’s STR3 and this year’s STR4.

In Sebastien’s second year with us, the partnership has not met our expectations and therefore we have decided to replace him as from the next round of the world championship, the Hungarian Grand Prix. Franz Tost.

Scuderia Toro Rosso have had a shaky relationship with many of their drivers in their so-far short history, and Sebastien wasn’t afraid to show his displeasure at the action, releasing a statement on his website.

I am very disappointed and shocked by the decision taken by Scuderia Toro Rosso of not allowing me to drive for the Team until the end of the current season.

I consider that, in doing so, Scuderia Toro Rosso has breached its contractual duties towards me; also I believe that nothing in my behavior would legitimate a decision of the Team to terminate the contract. I think that the Team’s decision is in clear violation of Scuderia Toro Rosso’s obligations under the agreement. I have instructed my lawyers to review the situation including the possibility of issuing legal proceedings. Sebastien Bourdais.

Bourdais went on to say that the decision was even more shocking to him as the team are about to introduce several new upgrades that would have undoubtedly helped the Frenchman overcome his difficulties with the car. Bourdais also thanked his fans and supporters.

It is likely that Bourdais will return to America (although he states he won’t as he his “committed to [his] Formula One project”), much like how Alex Zanardi did after his [second] attempt at Formula One, where I am sure a team would be happy to place him in one of their cars.

As for Scuderia Toro Rosso, it is likely they will place Jaime Alguersuari in the second seat alongside Sebastien Buemi. Should STR take this option then Alguersuari will become the youngest driver to compete in Formula One, beating Mike Thackwell’s record by 57 days assuming he races on the Sunday of the Hungarian Grand Prix. The pairing of Buemi and Alguersuari will also create the youngest team pairing in Formula One’s history.

Of course, while Scuderia Toro Rosso haven’t yet officially announced who will take the second seat, one has to wonder whatever happened to Takuma Sato…

Original article by BlogF1.

Scuderia Toro Rosso Officially Drop Sebastien Bourdais

Sebastien’s foray on the edges Formula One begin many years before 2007, and the driver had tested for Benetton and Arrows previously. However, circumstances meant that drives didn’t come his way which explains the departure to Champ Cars, and eventual success came after many battles with the likes of A. J. Allmendinger and Paul Tracy. When Bourdais finally had a chance to race in Formula One he jumped at the chance, even though it was with a team that were not successful nor had any previous experience of being successful.

Sebastien drove relatively well in his maiden season in 2008, and although the French star didn’t set the track alight, he did manage to score 4 points and at times, put in some decent performances. Unfortunately, Sebastien’s team mate fared better. Also in his maiden full season of racing, Sebastian Vettel outscored Bourdais with an end-of-season tally of 35 points. This total was helped with an astonishing win from pole in the rain-soaked Italian Grand Prix. Needless to say, Bourdais was firmly in Vettel’s shadow.

During the off-season of 2008-2009, Scuderia Toro Rosso refused to name their drivers for the upcoming season until at the last possible moment, it seemed. While much of the grid had been sorted out with the only major exception of Honda, Scuderia Toro Rosso stood out like a sore thumb. In early January, the team decided to finally announce one of their drivers, and interestingly, it wasn’t Bourdais. Instead, they announced Red Bull test driver Sebastien Buemi for one of the seats.

During testing, Takuma Sato had been driving for the team as well, and it was very clear that Dietrich Mateschitz’s second team were undecided about their driver line-up. Sato drove very well during the winter and often topped the timing sheets, although it should be noted the team fielded 2008 spec. cars as opposed to the then-slower 2009 spec. cars which the other squads were running. Bourdais put in some good runs as well, which undoubtedly made the decision making process even harder.

After what seemed like a very long time since the announcement of Buemi, Scuderia Toro Rosso finally announced the other Sebastien for the second seat in February, and all was well in the STR camp. Since then though, Bourdais has struggled in qualifying and races, and again, he has been overshadowed by a lesser experienced rookie. Buemi currently sits on 3 points, Bourdais is behind on 2.

Sebastien Bourdais talks with an engineer at the 2009 Spanish Grand Prix.

Clearly STR put a lot of faith in their Champ Car champion, and while the car is no where near as good as it was last year, it must be embarrassing to look at the current standings and see your name below a complete rookie. Buemi hasn’t won a single-seater series in his career, his second places in Formula BMW and GP2 Asia being the highlights so far. For a multiple world champion who experienced so much success in America, it must be straining on the morale at the best of times.

But Bourdais has been tirelessly moving forward and trying to right the errors and improve the car. And certainly, the STR4 isn’t all that great. Many will say it should be an RB5 with a different livery, but in fact it is quite a different machine. In order to accommodate a Ferrari engine (Red Bull use Renault at Adrian Newey’s request) many components have to be changed and moved around, which has a major impact on the how the car handles. And looking at the results from the pair so far this season, the STR4 really isn’t an RB5 in disguise. I think it is fair to say that Force India have now moved ahead of them in terms of performance.

So Bourdais’s struggles at the little Italian team aren’t all of his own making, but the rumours still persist. And at the German Grand Prix, many a voice were heard to be saying that this is the last chance saloon for the lovable Frenchman.

Sebastien Bourdais retires from the 2009 German Grand Prix.

Fair enough, Bourdais pulled into his pit box after 21 laps with a hydraulic failure on his car, and therefore nothing of his own doing, but the retirement looks damning when placed alongside the other results from this year. Two other retirements, two eighth place finishes and a string of mediocre non-scoring finishes.

So the question is, was the German Grand Prix Sebastien’s last? Would someone else be able to do any better? With the team currently in turmoil (they may be sold before the 2010 season), would anyone actually want to join the squad?

Original article by BlogF1.

Was The 2009 German Grand Prix Sebastien Bourdais’s Last?

It’s one of the sport’s ultimate what ifs, and it is very hard to judge a driver who hasn’t actually proven themselves one way or the other, but to speculate is interesting, and that is exactly what this post is about. Of the drivers competing in 2009, do any deserve a better car, a greater chance of proving themselves…

Nico Rosberg

Being the son of a former world champion will always bring with it a great expectation. Keke was a fine driver who showed consistency like few others. Nico though has had a harder time of it. Like his father, Nico was given his break by Williams, but unfortunately the timing was quite different. In 1982, Keke joined the team on the back of their two consecutive constructors titles. It wasn’t all smiles and praise as the team started to endure mixed results, but Keke won his world title in his first campaign with Williams, and showed tenacity while the squad slipped down the rankings.

For Nico, he joined Williams when they were already quite firmly in a slump, which may have been his saving grace as with it comes understanding. In a clearly uncompetitive car, Rosberg Jr has shown he has talent, and a strong run of points finishes towards the tail end of 2007 were impressive. Even more impressive were his two podiums in 2008. Finishing second in the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix is surely both actually and emotionally Rosberg’s greatest result thus far, completing a race where all about him others were falling off the road and retiring.

2009 has once again proving to be a bit of a let down so far. The car is okay, as is the engine, but through a combination of errors from both team and driver, Nico has so far failed to stand on the podium, despite the FW31 looking very competitive in free practices. The experience of Williams should be guiding Nico to greatness, but alas it looks to be the other way around at the moment, with Rosberg guiding the team.

Does Nico have the talent to compete with the best? Lewis Hamilton seems to think so, and Rosberg’s championship winning GP2 season was impressive. The German pilot out-scored Heikki Kovalainen to take the title, and although both pilots equalled each other on wins in 2005, Nico managed 4 poles and 5 fastest laps to Heikki’s 2 poles and 1 fastest lap. Kovalainen is currently sitting in a McLaren and not enjoying his 2009 Formula One campaign, nor did the Finn do spectacularly well last time around. Would Rosberg do any better though?

Heikki Kovalainen

Speaking of Heikki, does he deserve a better car than he is currently driving? The McLaren MP4-24 is far from an all-conquering machine, and team mate Lewis Hamilton has been getting increasingly frustrated with it this year, telling the media that the team have not given him a machine which he can defend his title with. The Briton has scored some points though and looked, on occasion, quite competitive.

Conversely, Heikki has barely finished a race this season, failing to even get around the opening lap in the first two races. He has scored with the 2009 McLaren, but currently sits on half the points of his team mate. Previously, Kovalainen couldn’t match Hamilton in 2008 and while the Briton took the world championship, Heikki finished in seventh on just over half the points of his team mate. It wasn’t a great performance, but there were glimmers of hope. In 2007, Kovalainen’s debut year, the Finn got off to a slow start, but by the time the drivers had completed the final race, Heikki had comprehensively beaten his much more experienced team mate Giancarlo Fisichella.

Previous to Formula One and as mentioned in relation to Nico Rosberg, Heikki did well in GP2 and missed out on the 2005 title by just 15 points. Finishing second is still a good performance, but one has to wonder why this hasn’t translated into Formula One. Would Kovalainen blitz the field if he was given a decent car? Does he have enough talent, or was 2005, [2006 spent testing] and 2007 the peak of his motor racing career?

Sebastien Buemi

Swiss driver Sebastien Buemi has proven to be a bit of a surprise this year. Being the only rookie in the field, Buemi has already shown up his multiple ChampCar champion team mate Sebastien Bourdais, and brought the Scuderia Toro Rosso home in points-paying positions twice already. In the opening round Bourdais scored, but unfortunately for him, Buemi scored better. At the third round in China, Buemi scored again, and currently sits on three points. It is, by all measures, a good start to his debut campaign.

Prior to Formula One, Buemi didn’t look particularly special, finishing in sixth in his first full GP2 season. Over the winter the Swiss driver competed in the GP2 Asia series and managed to finish second after one win and a string of second places. Compared to Rosberg and Kovalainen in 2005 though, Buemi looks vaguely average.

However, to finish in the points in a Scuderia Toro Rosso is not bad. Although the car is often said to be similar to the race-winning Red Bull, it is actually quite a different motor, being powered by a different engine and managed by a different team of people. Thus far, and while eating humble pie, I have to say that Buemi doesn’t look too bad of a driver and in a couple of years will deserve a shot in a better car. But what say you? Is Buemi any good, or are his results so far completely fluke?

Adrian Sutil

Having competed in Formula One since 2007, Adrian Sutil has endured the worse of all the cars currently mentioned. The Spyker wasn’t up to much and although the Force India he now drives is an improvement, it is still hogging the back row of the grid. However, on occasion Sutil has driven the wheels of the car and positioned himself in places that really he shouldn’t be in.

We all remember the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix where Sutil managed to haul himself up to fourth and was defending his position to the reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen. Unfortunately, Raikkonen crashed into Sutil and his race was over. It wasn’t the only time a Ferrari came into contact with Sutil’s Force India that year as the Scuderia’s pitstop technique often resulted one of their drivers pulling out in front of Sutil. It became almost comical due to the amount of times it happened.

Again this season Sutil has put in a couple of fine performances, finishing in ninth from sixteenth in the season’s opening round, and running in sixth in China before losing the tail of his car and clouting the barrier. However, the fact that the German is able to get his car into these positions shows maturity and skill on his part. Is it enough though. What would happen if Adrian found himself in a Brawn or Red Bull? Would he be winning, or would it be too much for him?

Original article by BlogF1.

Who Deserves A Better Shot At The Big Time?

If the proposed rules for 2010 remain unchanged, we will not enter next year’s championship.

The conditions for 2010 at the moment make it impossible to sign in. But I hope there will be a meeting and a settlement before the entry deadline. Dietrich Mateschitz.

As discussed in the previous post regarding Toyota, the teams are not happy with the current budget cap proposals, intending to limit teams who volunteer to the scheme to £40m per season. Although the cap does not include drivers and principals salaries and engine costs, it is still very limiting despite the technical development freedom. By remaining outside of the scheme, teams may be punished on the track by having to adhere to the very strict confines of the current regulations which sees among other things, rev-limited engines that cannot be developed.

It is clear that you would need to compete at the £40 million budget cap because the car would be quicker. And if you see that the engine revs are unlimited, then engines excluded from the cap, the KERS is excluded, you are probably talking about a budget of £150 million or more. It is a very confused situation that we need to clarify more. John Howett – FOTA Vice Chairman & Toyota Motorsport President.

Also concerning the manufacturers and Mateschitz’s two teams, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso, are the way the FIA have introduced this rule and intend to introduce others in the future. Currently, if the teams agree unanimously, a rule change can be dropped, adjusted or implemented. However, Autosport are suggesting that the FIA would like to make it harder for the participating teams to do this, thus taking away an element of control from them.

FOTA, the teams (supposedly) united body have stated in the past that they would like greater involvement in the creation of the technical regulations, and on the face of it, FOTA could be construed as an organisation that could compete with the FIA for even further control of the sport. Although currently the organisations have been working together to solve many issues surrounding the sport at the moment.

While at times relations between the two bodies have appeared constructive and cooperative, this latest controversy has the potential to escalate very easily. However, FOTA Chairman Luca di Montezemolo is expected to meet with Max Mosley prior to the Monaco Grand Prix in a fortnight to discuss the concerns of the teams.

Original article by BlogF1.

Dietrich Mateschitz Becomes Latest To Voice Non-Entry To Two-Tier F1

Scuderia Toro Rosso proved that despite not having the budget of Ferrari or McLaren, you can win if you’re clever enough. And even if you discount that magical day at a saturated Monza, the season was still one of great success and triumph. To equal Red Bull on points is more than be expected, to exceed was incredible.

Already though, STR have attempted to quell expectation and they have repeatedly said that a repeat performance of 2008 is unlikely to happen. They have continued with the Ferrari engine, and although STR’s unit may be a little behind than the factory team’s version, it is still a handy pocket-rocket. The chassis is derived from the Adrian Newey penned RB5, although it should be noted that modifications are required to fit the different engine and associated components.

During the winter, the team racked up many miles with the old car, and as a result the team often found themselves at the top of the timing sheets. With the new car though, testing appears to have been a little more arduous, but again, it is expected. One area that perhaps could have saved the team some heartache was the seemingly never-ending issue of drivers.

From early on in the off-season it was clear that Sebastien Buemi would be promoted from the role of test driver to full time STR pilot. The Swiss driver spent 2008 trialling different parts on the car as well as driving in various promotional roadshows around the world. Buemi’s knowledge of the Red Bull family is strong, as is his knowledge of the car. Although the STR4 will undoubtedly handle very differently to the RB4 he tested last year, Sebastien will still feel a sense of familiarity between the chassis.

Aside from Buemi though, Scuderia Toro Rosso seemed to be in a dilemma regarding the driver of the second car. Takuma Sato looked good for the role for quite a while, the Japanese driver having performed surprisingly well in testing. However, when it came down to it, the squad opted for some consistency and chose to retain Sebastien Bourdais. While Sato really did look like a driver reborn, Bourdais does deserve another chance to prove himself in Formula One. The French driver’s performances in 2008 were perhaps a little up and down, but ultimately the four-times Champ Car champion did show he had pace and skill when everything came together.

Bourdais’s biggest issue appeared to be qualifying, which lead him to be among the back markers at the start of the races, and therefore in the throes of any accident caused by the Force Indias, Super Aguris and Hondas all vying for the same bit of tarmac. As the season progressed though, Bourdais started to get to grips with everything and while four points isn’t much to write home about, it is my belief that 2009 will be better; Bourdais being able to hit the ground running this time.

The only other issue that may cloud the team, although perhaps not in their performances, is the decision from Dietrich Mateschitz to sell. The news has been known for a while, and the Red Bull magnate is making a sound business decision, even if it isn’t popular with the fans. Currently, STR receive hand-me-down chassis from Red Bull, but if customer cars are outlawed from 2010 onwards, the financial costs of the squad won’t be worth the extra marketing Red Bull gain. Mateschitz has questioned his decision to sell, and it may still not happen. But it will undoubtedly be a worry for those who have worked tirelessly at Faenza since the days of Minardi.

Previous Scuderia Toro Rosso Previews

• F12008 Scuderia Toro Rosso Preview
• F12007 Scuderia Toro Rosso Preview
• F12006 Scuderia Toro Rosso Preview

Original article by BlogF1.

F12009: Scuderia Toro Rosso Preview

One thing is for certain, Red Bull need to start showing some consistency in races, and carry this throughout a season. The RB4 chassis was certainly acceptable, and the Renault engine was fairly reliable, even if it was a little under-powered initially/apparently. Thus far, the RB5 looks to be okay as well, and the French engine manufacturer continues its relationship with RBR. Renault also intend to run KERS in the factory team at Australia, which could bode well for Red Bull who will surely get the device in following races assuming all goes to plan.

In testing, the car has looked like a fairly sturdy machine, occasionally setting good pace. The team appeared to struggle in the final group sessions, but it was in Barcelona and Jerez that all the teams had good and bad days. As a group though, Red Bull and STR have put in some good mileage during the winter, and even Mark Webber showed little sign of hesitancy after climbing back into the car in February after breaking his leg in November.

Sebastian Vettel really showed up Red Bull last year with his win in Monza. Although the photos showed team owner Dietrich Mateschitz smiling and applauding, underneath was likely painted with a different story, one of anguish no doubt; the better funded and generally faster team had been embarrassed by a young rookie. Of course, owning both teams allows staff to be moved easily between the two operations, and Red Bull have done well in promoting Vettel.

Despite his youth and wirey frame, Vettel is a great racer and his maturity in Italy when all around him drivers were spinning was impressive. It is perhaps too much to expect a repeat performance in 2009, but Vettel is a driver Red Bull will want to keep hold of. If Red Bull can start producing better cars, then surely it is Vettel who would be ideal at taking the squad into the future with greater successes.

Partnering Vettel is Mark Webber, the older, wiser and more experienced driver of the team. Mark had some great races last year, and really showed the car wasn’t all that bad when it worked. However, a few knocks and a few reliability issues made it hard for the team and driver to score with regularity, and this is where the consistency needs to be improved upon – Red Bull and Webber need to start scoring consistently.

The inter-team battle between Webber and Vettel will also be fascinating to watch unfold. Both drivers appear to get along, but I can see some fantastic battles emerging from the two as the season progresses.

I would love to say that Red Bull will improve this year, but aside from reclaiming their position ahead of Scuderia Toro Rosso, I cannot see much else happening. It would seem that Toyota have improved, Renault are claiming they can win, McLaren will be okay and Ferrari will likely continue their pace at the top, along with a closely following BMW. In fact, while Red Bull could gain a place from STR, they could then lose it to Brawn if the BGP 001 is as good as many think it is.

Previous Red Bull Racing Previews

• F12008 Red Bull Racing Preview
• F12007 Red Bull Racing Preview
• F12006 Red Bull Racing Preview

Original article by BlogF1.

F12009: Red Bull Racing Preview

Image © GEPA/Bildagentur Kraeling.

Original article by BlogF1.

Caption Contest: #82

Similar to the Red Bull RB5, the STR4 was produced by Red Bull Technologies and built at the team’s Faenza base in Italy. There is a running joke in Formula One that both Red Bulls and Toro Rossos are essentially the same, but Giorgio Ascanelli was insistent at the launch to point out that the two cars are in fact quite different.

Being powered by the Italian Ferrari engine, the car has to be different from the Renault-powered RB5, and the difference in power plant has knock-on effects throughout the car. However, visually they are similar with the livery only marking the two out after a casual glance.

However, with any F1 car, the packaging revolves around an engine and peculiarities from the drivers and, as we run a different engine to our sister team, it involves a different fuel system and fuel tank. Therefore, ours is completely different to the Red Bull Racing car and is designed here by us. Giorgio Ascanelli.

Ascanelli continued to point out all the differences between the two cars, which can be read in more detail on the team’s official website.

Scuderia Toro Rosso enjoyed a rather successful 2008 campaign, winning the Italian Grand Prix after taking pole position. Aside from this, the team also scored at many other races and finished the year ahead of their parent team. However, repeating this success in 2009 will be difficult.

The 2008 season was good in terms of our on-track performance, which, it’s fair to say, exceeded our expectations, with our biggest ever haul of points, a pole position and a win. It’s going to be tough to live up to that this year.

Therefore our target has to be to leave every race track on a Sunday night, knowing we have done the best job we could. The results will then depend on how everyone else has done. Franz Tost.

Images © Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Original article by BlogF1.

Launches 2009: STR Unveil Car Number Four

Takuma Sato, who has come and gone from Formula One more times than most care to remember, actually impressed in testing late last year, often running ahead or very close to his rivals during the test sessions. However, not managing to get the drive, Sato continued negotiating with the squad over a possible role as the reserve driver, on standby should either of the main drivers be unable to race. Unfortunately for Sato, discussions have been fruitless.

I am no longer in negotiation with the Toro Rosso or Red Bull teams about their third driver positions. I am very disappointed that we were not able to come to an agreement with them, but you never know what is around the corner.

As everyone knows, I never give up, so we are still looking for the best options for the future. Takuma Sato.

Where that leaves Sato now is anybody’s guess. The Japanese driver has been out of work since the Super Aguri team folded early last year, and Scuderia Toro Rosso was clearly the drivers best chance of a return since. Looking at Sato’s comeback record though, I’m sure it won’t be too long before he is reported to be talking to Formula One teams again.

Original article by BlogF1.

Takuma Sato Rules Himself Out Of Red Bull Role

However, the information collected may be worthless as Scuderia Toro Rosso don’t have a car yet. Whereas rivals Force India now do. Having undergone a shakedown last week and completed some laps of Jerez yesterday, the VJM02 arguably puts the Silverstone-based squad ahead. They have one very experienced driver in Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil is entering his third season of Formula One driving. With a strong Mercedes-Benz engine and all the other gubbins that come with it, Force India could be about to take a step up the grid order this year. Of course, looking at the RB5 – STR’s future car – it might not be as straight forward as you think.

Scuderia Toro Rosso have an experienced racer in Sebastien Bourdais, but the Frenchman has completed most of his running in the American Champ Car series. Bourdais’s first foray in Formula One didn’t go quite as well as he would have liked, but there were some strong performances. Conversely, Sebastien Buemi is a rookie and will start his very first season of Formula One in March when the teams convene in Melbourne for the first race. Sebastien Buemi has spent a lot of time in the car though, testing both the STR3 and the RB4. Scuderia Toro Rosso also have a decent engine with the Ferrari, although the package is less complete when compared to Force India’s set up.

So which team do you think will finish the 2009 season on top? The team that won a race in 2008, or the team that have a car already? Scuderia Toro Rosso versus Force India…

Image © Franz Pammer/GEPA Pictures.

Original article by BlogF1.

Who Will Be Faster In 2009: STR vs. Force India

Although Hamilton topped the timing sheet for new cars, Fernando Alonso finally made an appearance closer to the sharp end with a lap time that was just 0.2s shy of the McLaren’s best. Alonso said he spent the day working on the set up to make the new R29 easier and more comfortable to drive. The Spaniard was feeling rather jubilant when speaking to the press after his final run.

Every day the driveability of the car is improving and although we still have a lot of work to do before the start of the season, we are definitely moving in the right direction. Fernando Alonso.

Mark Webber didn’t have such a good day, the Australian bringing out the only red flag of the afternoon when his RB5 stopped no track. The stoppage followed problems all morning for the Anglo-Austro team, suggesting that perhaps the reliability of the new car isn’t the best. The team were confident though and pleased with the RB5’s maiden test this week.

Apart from a few minor niggles, which are to be expected with a brand new car, this first test has produced pleasing results. RB5 proved to be generally reliable and its performance seems encouraging straight out of the box. Ian Morgan.

Williams fielded two cars today, utilising both race drivers to gain as much knowledge about the FW31 as possible. Unfortunately, Kazuki Nakajima failed to set a time despite going in and out of the pits a total of 34 times. Nico Rosberg on the other hand had a better day and after completing 70 tours of Jerez wound up in fourth, ahead of Webber’s RB5.

Meanwhile in Bahrain…

Scenes from the past two days of sand and wind (as shown above from yesterday) ceased and the three teams present at Sakhir were able to complete some running. Kimi Raikkonen set 107 laps of the track and posted the fastest time of the day in the Ferrari F60. Raikkonen felt positive after his first run in the new car on a dry circuit.

My first day with the new F60 on a dry track was extremely positive. I immediately had a good feeling although it’s still too early to say where we are compared to our competitors. The car is improving and there are no especially critical areas. We used the KERS also today and I’m happy with how it works, apart from some minor childhood disease. Kimi Raikkonen.

Jarno Trulli was the busiest man of the day in Bahrain, setting 127 lap times and finishing a close second on the timing sheet. The Italian was only 0.104s shy of Raikkonen at the end of the day and managed to complete two race distances in the Toyota TF109.

Test driver Christian Klien was sent out for BMW and the Austrian managed a fine tally of laps as well. It was the first time Klien has really driven the new car since prior to its launch and immediately set about making up for the time lost on Wednesday and Thursday. Klien’s fastest lap of the day was only 0.2s down on Trulli’s.

Jerez Test Day Four Results Table		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m17.472s	117 Laps
2.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m19.632s	94 Laps
3.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m19.846s	109 Laps
4.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m21.123s	71 Laps
5.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	1m21.313	62 Laps
6.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	No Time	34 Laps
Bahrain Test Day Four Results Table
1.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m33.325s	105 Laps
2.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	1m33.429s	127 Laps
3.	Christian Klien BMW	1m33.666s	125 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Jerez & Bahrain Tests Day Four: Hamilton & Raikkonen Set The Benchmark

Lewis Hamilton returned to the cockpit for today’s testing and although proved the McLaren to be the fastest of the 2009 cars, his lap was very closely followed by that of Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull Racing RB5. So close in fact that the German was only 0.001s shy of the Briton on his fastest lap.

The car feels strong, very similar to last year’s car, in fact. It doesn’t take long to get used to the new buttons in the cockpit [KERS & front wing] but the real test for everyone now is to understand the slick tyres ahead of the first race in Melbourne next month. Lewis Hamilton.

Kazuki Nakajima continued in the Williams FW31 from yesterday while the new Renault was given to Fernando Alonso for today. The Renault hasn’t looked terribly quick throughout the test at Jerez so far and the results from today don’t paint a better picture. Again, the R29 was at the bottom of the timing sheets, although the team insist that they are receiving valuable feedback and that the car is working well.

Today was all about getting mileage on the car, especially with the new KERS system.

It was my first full dry day in the car and so I was able to learn a lot. We completed lots of laps, which is encouraging and now we will start working on the set-up of the car so that I can get more comfortable with it. Fernando Alonso.

Jerez Test Day Three Results Table		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m18.493s	128 Laps
2.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m20.737s	93 Laps
3.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m20.738s	92 Laps
4.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m20.898s	92 Laps
5.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m21.307s	133 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Jerez & Bahrain Tests Day Three: Bourdais Quickest & Sand Stops Play, Again

Today saw the return of Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber. The Australian has been laid up for most of the winter while his broken leg heals. However, just 12 or so weeks since his cycling accident in Tasmania, Webber was back behind the wheel of a Formula One car. It seems his time spent concentrating on his leg hasn’t deterred the Australian and Mark finished the day in third after 83 laps.

I’m very relieved of course. It has been a tough few months for me, but I’ve had good people around me and the team have been fantastic as well.

There were a lot of questions asked going into today. But I answered some questions for myself and it turned out to be okay. Mark Webber.

Sebastien Buemi set the fastest lap again, although the Swiss pilot was driving a modified 2008 chassis while the other four drivers on the track were all in 2009 cars. Buemi was the busiest man of the day though, racking up an impressive 143 laps before calling it a day. Sebastien concentrated on learning about how the team worked through a race weekend and the squad simulated a qualifying session and race distance.

This has been a useful couple of days for me, running in wet and dry conditions. Even though we are still in the ‘08 car, I have learned a lot in terms of how we operate over a race weekend, as we simulated a qualifying session and the race. Sebastien Buemi.

Heikki Kovalainen was in the cockpit for McLaren and the Finn was the fastest of the 2009 cars on track. Although the MP4-24 was carrying a modified rear wing as the Woking-based team are apparently waiting for a new high-downforce version of the new slim wing. It is expected that Lewis Hamilton will drive the car tomorrow.

Kazuki Nakajima took over from Nico Hulkenberg today and got his first proper drive in the new FW31 car around Jerez. Like with Buemi, Nakajima focused on a race race simulation as well as gathering data about the new slick tyres. Nelson Piquet Jr. continued evaluating the new R29 for Renault, and once again propped up the timing sheet at the bottom. Fernando Alonso will be driving the Renault on Thursday.

Meanwhile in Bahrain…

Things didn’t go quite as well as planned in Bahrain though. The morning started off better than the day previous, with little sign of fog threatening to curtail running as it did on Tuesday. However, shortly after 9.30am, the track officials decided to close the circuit due to a sandstorm blowing over. Felipe Massa managed the fastest lap of the day after completing just 17 laps, followed by Robert Kubica and then Timo Glock.

Earlier in the year, Ferrari had changed their minds about testing in Portugal due to rain being forecast. The team switched to their own test circuit in Italy and tested in private. However, while Portugal received mostly dry weather, Northern Italy was deluged under heavy rain. Once again, it would appear as though Ferrari have been caught out by the forces of nature.

Jerez Test Day Two Results Table		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m17.591s	143 Laps
2.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m20.799s	110 Laps
3.	Mark Webber Red Bull Racing	1m21.321s	83 Laps
4.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m21.451s	125 Laps
5.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	1m21.908s	49 Laps
Bahrain Test Day Two Results Table
1.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	1m33.639s	17 Laps
2.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m34.398s	22 Laps
3.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m34.902s	14 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Jerez & Bahrain Tests Day Two: Webber Returns & Sand Stops Play

Only a small rain shower in Spain dampened spirits as the teams got to work on set up evaluation and gathering useful data. Nico Hulkenberg was on track for Williams, putting the FW31 through its paces and finishing ahead of the McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen by 0.2s. Nelson Piquet Jr was the final driver on the Jerez circuit today, finishing in fifth and 1.2s adrift of Vettel’s pace.

As the car is so new, we learn something with every lap and we have some useful data to go through this evening. The forecast looks better for tomorrow so hopefully we can continue the work we started today. Nelson Piquet Jr.

In Bahrain, three teams were present; Toyota, Ferrari and BMW. Timo Glock headed the table with a 1m33.501s, just over 0.1s faster than Felipe Massa in the Ferrari F60. Robert Kubica finished in third, although the Pole was only 0.201s shy of Glock at the top of the finishing order. Once again, Ferrari had opted to test away from the main group, heading out to Bahrain in the search of good weather. While the day was mostly sunny, fog in the morning prevented the cars from going out too early.

After the weather intervened during our Portugal test, this was our first real chance to give the TF109 a run in dry conditions. The fog held us up briefly at the start but it wasn’t a major problem. We did a lot of set-up work and in the end we found a good direction.

The car felt quite consistent so this is already a positive sign. We got through a lot of laps so this was an encouraging start to the test. Timo Glock.

Jerez Test Day One Results Table		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m19.660s	104 Laps
2.	Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing	1m22.177s	61 Laps
3.	Nico Hulkenberg Williams	1m22.443s	82 Laps
4.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m22.643s	58 Laps
5.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	1m23.313s	35 Laps
Bahrain Test Day One Results Table
1.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m33.501s	82 Laps
2.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	1m33.615s	98 Laps
3.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m33.702s	95 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Jerez & Bahrain Tests Day One: Buemi & Glock Lead

Aside from the ongoing issues surrounding the former Honda team, this announcement now completes the 2009 grid, with all available seats taken with teams that are definitely expected to arrive in Melbourne for the first race of the year. Understandably, Sebastien Bourdais was jubilant at the news while Takuma Sato is considering his next career move.

It has been a very long and difficult winter, but now the waiting is finally over and I am really excited about tackling my second season with Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Now, I can focus on preparing for the coming season. It promises to be a very interesting one, thanks to all the rule changes and I’m also looking forward to establishing a good relationship with my new teammate, Sebastien Buemi, to ensure both of us do the best possible job for the team and for Red Bull. Sebastien Bourdais.

I am not sure what my future holds. I will be discussing with my manager what our next steps should be. However, I strongly feel that I have unfinished business in F1 and that I still have a lot to give. Takuma Sato.

Bourdais had a difficult debut season with Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2008, but despite proving to be very successful in America, Sebastien wanted to drive in Formula One, even if it was with a team yet to win anything. Of course, that changed when team mate Sebastian Vettel took pole position and race victory in Monza, but the result overshadowed some strong races by Bourdais throughout the year.

Scuderia Toro Rosso scored well in 2008, largely thanks to Vettel’s efforts but also Bourdais, who collected 4 points during the course of the season. Whether or not this can be repeated in 2009 is another question entirely as the regulations could very easily shake up the grid. The Red Bull car will be one of the last to launch, and the junior team will receive the chassis very late in the day for any serious testing to be completed by the two drivers. However, both Bourdais and Buemi have each put in a lot of miles since the Brazil Grand Prix, albeit in the STR3 chassis.

Sebastien Bourdais deserves another chance to prove himself in Formula One following some strong performances last year. But with the knowledge that Formula One careers can be very short-lived, Bourdais will undoubtedly be driving for his future in 2009. He proved his ability to win in America, and now Bourdais needs to prove his ability to maximise the results from the STR4.

Original article by BlogF1.

Sebastien Bourdais Confirmed At Scuderia Toro Rosso

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton returned to the cockpit today for the first time since winning the world championship in Brazil last November. The Briton managed 81 laps in the new MP4-24, and set the third quickest time of 1m30.242s, 0.5s shy of Rosberg in the FW31. It wasn’t all plain sailing for Hamilton though as the Mercedes engine shut itself down while on track after a safety feature activated without warning.

With the engines at an absolute premium this season, all teams are expected to utilise an automatic electronic shutdown system which should only kick-in if something potentially damaging to the unit is detected. Unfortunately for Hamilton, it decided to do exactly this today. However, Lewis was able to continue once the system had been reset, and was pleased with his first day back in the office.

It was good to be back working with the team – it felt like I’d hardly been away because it was easy to slip back into the routine.

This first test was all about just getting used to the new car and the new regulations and about giving my feedback to the engineers; it wasn’t about setting a fast time.

With the limitations on testing during the season, and the few sessions we have over the next two months, this is going to be an intense time and absolutely critical for every team. Lewis Hamilton.

Timo Glock was present for Toyota and managed to cause a 30 minute delay when an oil pipe worked loose on his new TF109, resulting in the 2009 challenger to catch fire. The incident looked more serious than what it actually was, but the time lost for Glock meant he could only complete 63 laps.

The final position in the tables went to Fernando Alonso, the Spaniard testing the new Renault R29. Unfortunately, Alonso had his fair share of dramas as well, his Renault deciding to stop in the pitlane entry which ultimately led to the day ending a little earlier than planned as the stricken car was recovered.

Portimao Test Day Three Results Table		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m27.987s	128 Laps
2.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m29.729s	143 Laps
3.	Lewis Hamilton McLaren	1m30.242s	81 Laps
4.	Timo Glock Toyota	1m30.878s	63 Laps
5.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m31.743s	84 Laps

Meanwhile in Mugello…

It rained. I have only one word for Ferrari. FAIL.

The Scuderia had pulled out of the public test in Portugal at the last minute, citing poor weather forecasts for the area this week (although rumours of car troubles continue to circulate). Instead, the team opted to test privately at their own track in Mugello.

By and large, Ferrari were correct and rain fell on both circuits for the first two days. However, as reported above, the Algarve basked in sunshine today while Felipe Massa moped around the Northern Italian track under an umbrella.

Despite the precipitation though, Massa completed an admirable 104 laps, setting a fastest time of 1m33.353s. This compares to team mate Kimi Raikkonen’s efforts from Monday and Tuesday of 1m34.430s and 1m33.920s respectively. Massa will continue to evaluate the F60 tomorrow, although the Brazilian is yet to try the machine on slick tyres and completely dry track.

Photo © Ferrari Spa.

Original article by BlogF1.

Portimao Test Day Three: Buemi, Rosberg, Hamilton, Glock & Alonso

Sebastien Buemi’s lap was 3s clear of Pedro De La Rosa in the new McLaren, which compared to yesterday is an improvement (or decline from the STR driver). De La Rosa therefore continued to be the faster of the 2009 cars, finishing his day after 62 laps and 5s ahead of Jarno Trulli’s Toyota TF109.

Nelson Piquet Jr. continued to test for Renault, putting the new R29 through its paces and finishing in fourth again. Unfortunately, the Enstone-based team suffered a mechanical fault with the engine and this lost Piquet a lot of track time; the Brazilian was only able to complete nine laps. Nico Rosberg completed the table in the new Williams FW31, ending up 6s down on Nelson Piquet Jr.

Portimao Test Day Two Results Table		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m34.429s	48 Laps
2.	Pedro De La Rosa McLaren	1m37.512s	62 Laps
3.	Jarno Trulli Toyota	1m42.399s	30 Laps
4.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	1m45.860s	9 Laps
5.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m51.580s	31 Laps

Meanwhile in Mugello…

It rained as well. Ferrari had hoped a return to Italy for their test would favour them with better weather, but alas it hasn’t worked out that way yet. Kimi Raikkonen continued to lap the team’s test track and evaluate the new Ferrari F60. The Finn completed 42 laps and set a best time of 1m33.920s, 0.5s faster than yesterday. Felipe Massa is due to return to the car tomorrow.

Photo © LAT Photographic | Ferrari Spa.

Original article by BlogF1.

Portimao Test Day Two: Buemi & De La Rosa Still On Top

McLaren have already put their MP4-23 through some paces, having run the car over the weekend following it’s launch on Friday back in the UK. Today, Pedro De La Rosa continued driving the car and managed a second quickest time, or fastest of the 2009-spec. cars on the track. De La Rosa’s time of 1m46.076s puts the Spaniard 4.5s down on Buemi in the Scuderia Toro Rosso and 0.3s ahead of Nico Hulkenberg in the new Williams FW31.

Hulkenberg had been present at the launch of the 2009 Williams in the morning, the team opting for a low-key unveiling on the same day as Renault. The upcoming German driver completed 28 laps which comprised of some installation runs in the morning.

This morning has been full wet, but the weather hasn’t really affected what we wanted to do, because our goal has been to get the car out on track, check all the systems work, be sure parts aren’t touching each other, nothing is burning, and that’s all proved to be okay.

It would be good to get some dry running, and the weather should allow this later in the week. In terms of first impressions of the car, we of course haven’t spent any time on set-up or performance work yet, that’ll all come later, but so far the car is running fine. Sam Michael.

Similarly, Renault ran Nelson Piquet Jr. for their initial laps in the new R29. Fernando Alonso was trackside to keep an eye on proceedings and will drive the new chassis later in the week. Piquet managed fourth fastest but was 2.6s shy of Hulkenberg’s Williams. Kamui Kobayashi completed the tables in the Toyota TF109 (complete with shark fin engine cover), lapping the circuit 46 times to post a time 2s down on Piquet Jr.

Portimao Test Day One Results Table		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m41.528s	65 Laps
2.	Pedro De La Rosa McLaren	1m46.076s	28 Laps
3.	Nico Hulkenberg Williams	1m46.335s	28 Laps
4.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	1m48.907s	33 Laps
5.	Kamui Kobayashi Toyota	1m50.989s	46 Laps

Meanwhile in Mugello…

Ferrari had chosen at the last minute to pull out of the public test in Portugal because they felt the weather wouldn’t hold off long enough for the team to get any decent evaluating done on the new F60. The decision seemed a little strange at the time as other team’s hadn’t withdrawn. Although, it should be noted that McLaren and Toyota arrived in Portimao early and both Williams and Renault had organised their launches to be in Portugal. Despite this though, Ferrari decided to shift their test to their own Mugello circuit in Italy. Where it rained.

Kimi Raikkonen completed a few trouble free laps in the new car, his first experience of the F60 after Felipe Massa completed the initial shakedown on the day of the launch last week. The Finnish driver managed 56 laps of the test track and reported no problems. Kimi will continue to test the car tomorrow, away from prying eyes and media intrusion. For the record, Raikkonen’s lap time was 1m34.430s.

Photo © Toyota Motorsport Gmbh/Ferrari Spa.

Original article by BlogF1.

Portimao Test Day One: Buemi Goes Back To The Top Of The Class

Scuderia Toro Rosso

STR had an incredible 2008 with both drivers scoring points and a maiden victory for Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bull family of teams. However, the young German has been promoted to the senior team, and Franz Tost is still yet to decide on a partner for the replacing Sebastien Buemi.

To be able to beat Red Bull Racing again will be a real challenge, and one I do not think they will achieve. Part of Scuderia Toro Rossos success last year was down to the luck of the draw, and while nothing can be taken away from the fine victory in Monza, the weather almost certainly helped Vettel claim pole and win. And it was those ten points that helped push STR above Red Bull in the final standings.

The team have signed a driver who they consider to be a real talent, although Sebastien Buemi only managed sixth in last years GP2 championship, having been beaten by other upcoming talents Lucas di Grassis, Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean. Buemi is however, a part of Red Bull’s junior driver programme and earned his place in the squad by putting in some sterling work during the post-season tests at Jerez and Barcelona. He will likely find things tough to begin with, especially as he will undoubtedly be compared to his predecessor Vettel. But hopefully Buemi can find his feet and should be able to score a few points here and there.

The second seat remains vacant at the time of writing this, and the team desire a driver who can bring funds with them. STR also want someone with experience to partner Buemi, and currently Takuma Sato and Sebastien Bourdais look favourite for the role. However, time is ticking on and the Australian Grand Prix is only 75 days away. Scuderia Toro Rosso had better make their minds up quickly.

On the car side of things, the team will likely pick up a few Red Bull Racing chassis, just as they did in 2008. However, unlike 2008, the team will need a car that complies with the technical regulations from the word go, as the current STR3 is essentially illegal now. This pressure on Red Bull Technology is not good, and last season the company didn’t start providing a new car to STR until the Monaco event in May. There has been no sign of an interim car from the Red Bull stable, implying that the company will have build twice as many chassis before the vehicles are shipped out to Melbourne.

Red Bull Racing

Speaking of Red Bull Racing, how embarrassing was their 2008 campaign!? Having been beaten by the junior team must be heartbreaking for the squad, but it did prove that the car was capable during adverse conditions. The ‘08 season was also a marked improvement over the previous year, with the gearbox lasting a little longer.

The team have decided to let David Coulthard retire and in his place comes the young Sebastian Vettel, already a race winner. Vettel should prove to be a real match for team mate Mark Webber, who last year had it fairly easy thanks to Coulthard’s bad luck, error of judgements and fragile car. I can see Sebastian outscoring Webber by the end of the season, which would not be helpful to the Australian. Also, Mark Webber is recovering from a broken leg following a cycling accident in Tasmania.

The lack of testing from Mark Webber shouldn’t hurt the team too much as they have Sebastian Vettel and Sebastien Buemi, who has driven the RB4 since the 2008 season closed. However, the lack of driving will hurt Webber, especially as the cars will handle differently this year.

I would love to say that Red Bull will improve and start chasing the front runner’s gearboxes, but I just cannot see it. The team started out so well, attracting big names like Adrian Newey, Ferrari and Renault. But recently the relentless push forward seems to have slowed. Perhaps the injection of youth from Vettel and the lack of distraction with a cut down in lavish parties will help focus Red Bull back on to the racing.

Williams

They celebrated last year, but it was only the numbers derived from the teams impressive history that were of any significance. On the track, the team did less well and as much as I hope every season that this will be the comeback year, I am finding myself continually disappointed. Williams managed a couple of podiums last year with some great drives by Nico Rosberg, and surprisingly, Kazuki Nakajima didn’t do too badly either, almost matching Rosberg for pace on more than one occasion.

However, being Formula One’s final true privately entered team must be taking its toll, and while that status is something Franck Williams and Patrick Head can be proud of, the bank balance is probably wishing for some manufacturer-sent funds. With the world economy falling off the cliff, many expected Williams to follow Honda and walk away. Fortunately for us, Frank Williams is too resiliant and the team have been toiling away trying to reclaim the glory that once made them great.

The squad were the first to show off a 2009-spec. car, allowing Jonathan Kennard the chance to blast up and down a runway in the interim FW31. The team’s KERS package is the only system to have been developed entirely in-house, although it should be noted that in order for Williams to achieve this feat that had to purchase shares in AHP, get them to move their headquarters to Williams’s at Grove in Oxfordshire, and since then AHP has been renamed WHPForce India
Force India are another team that are going to be hard to judge until the lights go out in Melbourne. Last season, while transitioning from Spyker, the Silverstone-based squad continually locked-out the back row, only on occasion venturing forward. To their credit though, Giancarlo Fisichella did manage a Q2 qualifying effort, once, and in adverse conditions they did look handy for a while. Unfortunately though, while Vijay Mallya has the funds, he doesn’t yet have the experience of Formula One. With a more hands-on approach this year though, that could very quickly change.

Passion though is running through the team once again. This is something that has been lacking since the day Eddie Jordan submitted an advert to the back pages of Autosport asking for buyers for his team*. Passion doesn’t necessarily bring results though, but a canny knack of doing business helps.
*Not strictly true.

The team have affiliated themselves with McLaren and by getting a complete package of engine, gear box and KERS, the car should work more smoothly. The technical support will benefit the team greatly and providing the chassis isn’t too bad, Force India could make some progress in 2009. They won’t be hunting down podiums, but an odd point here and there could be on the cards.

The only thing that really worries me about Force India’s progress are the drivers. Adrian Sutil can drive well, but he seems to have adopted the Jarno Trulli approach to races; he tends to fall asleep. At times, Sutil looks impressive. Other times, you wonder what he’s doing. Fisichella as well is perhaps fast approaching his retirement. The Italian’s experience will undoubtedly help the team, especially as they once again transition from one engine to another. And also, from one type of car to another. Unfortunately, Fisichella’s race pace is starting to look a little tired and I think come 2010, Force India need in place a clear direction for the future of their driver choices.

Given everything though, I still think Force India will be at the back for the majority of the season. Although, perhaps moving away from Ferrari engines will help Sutil in the pitlane; maybe the Ferraris of Massa and Raikkonen won’t be drawn so much to him!?

Honda

The team is currently in flux, so there is very little to be said in all honesty. Ross Brawn has continually stated that the employees at Brackley are still preparing the RA109, although not knowing if it is worth anything must be disconcerting for the team. The lack of an engine deal is also very worrying. Brawn has mentioned that it would take about six weeks to modify the car to fit an unfamiliar engine, which gives the squad until the end of the month to find a buyer and an engine partner.

If the team are saved and they manage to acquire a power plant, I would presume Jenson Button to be one of the drivers, although the second seat remains unknown. For someone completely knew it would be easy to extend Rubens Barrichello’s career by an extra year as they would want some kind of stability. However, if someone took over and wanted immediate change, Barrichello could very quickly find himself left in the wings.

Prior to Honda shelving the Formula One operation, the team had been hyping themselves up, suggesting the RA109 will be a very competitive car. This attitude reminds of the team when they were known as BAR, and each and every year the hype would begin in November, and come March, it would evaporate as the cars came home in paltry positions. Only once was the excitement warranted – 2004. Therefore, I am ignoring the words flowing from Button’s mouth about the car. If they are on the Melbourne grid, they will likely be close to the back due to complete lack of testing, unfamiliar engine and possibly no KERS. I can see reliability causing a problem, which will only be exacerbated as the team will not be allowed to test during the season.

Finale

So that wraps up the 2009 season predictions. To be honest, it is fairly standard as I don’t think too much will change from last year. Ferrari can only lose it, Renault, BMW and Toyota can only move forward and if they don’t, serious questions will be asked. Red Bull and Scuderia Toro Rosso will achieve natural order again, Williams will continue to break fan’s hearts and Force India will occasionally nibble the bottom points. If Honda make it, then a big hurray will sound.

I’m most likely going to be wrong on most of what I have said – my predictions are like that! But these two posts have allowed me to examine some areas of the teams a little closer and compare as best I can between them all. So that just leaves me to ask…

…do you agree?

Further Reading

2009 Championship Predictions: Part I

Original article by BlogF1.

2009 Championship Predictions: Part II

We are delighted to welcome Sebastien, who was already part of the Red Bull family, to our team. Our engineers have been impressed with his speed in the car and his ability to learn and progress during the testing he has carried out for us last year.

That, along with some impressive performances in GP2 was enough to convince us to give him the drive. His appointment also fulfils the aims of the Red Bull Junior Driver programme and meets Dietrich Mateschitz’s intention to use Scuderia Toro Rosso as a showcase for young drivers the company has supported in the lower formulae. Franz Tost.

Buemi has taken part in many promotional runs with the Red Bull team, thanks to his involvement with the Red Bull junior driver programme. Sebastien also competed in GP2 last season, mixing his racing duties with testing work for the Formula One team. Buemi finished sixth in the 2008 GP2 championship, taking two wins and three other podium finishes. Earlier in 2008 Buemi also competed in the GP2 Asia series, finishing second to Romain Grosjean after scoring one win and four consecutive second places at the end of the short season.

This year, I will do all I can to bring home the best possible results and to show Red Bull that the confidence it has shown in me is justified. I want to thank Red Bull for this opportunity and for all the help they have given me in my career, dating back to 2005. Sebastien Buemi.

Sebastien Buemi will become Formula One’s 22nd Swiss driver and Scuderia Toro Rosso’s second after they ran Neel Jani for the 2006 season in the testing role. Jani competed in the Friday sessions for the team, although he didn’t get the opportunity to actually race for the squad. All eyes now rest on the second vacant seat at Scuderia Toro Rosso, with both Takuma Sato and Sebastien Bourdais looking to fill it. Bourdais was perhaps the favourite at one point, but Sato has impressed in testing.

Buemi’s official debut as a Scuderia Toro Rosso driver will be in Portimao when the team take part in an important test session, due to commence on the January 20th.

Original article by BlogF1.

Scuderia Toro Rosso Confirm The Expected: Sebastien Buemi Gets 2009 Drive

The Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa completed 154 laps between them, the Finn ending his day in fourth while Massa finished 0.3s down in fifth. Fernando Alonso continued to acclimatise himself to the slick tyres, fitted to slightly modified R28, and Williams fielded Nico Rosberg who ended up in seventh, just behind Alonso. BMW racked up the mileage with Robert Kubica and test driver Christian Klien managing 235 laps in total and allowing Nick Heidfeld a rest day.

The final big test of the year will see the teams divided between Jerez and the new Autodromo Internacional do Algarve circuits, the first running scheduled to commence on December 15th.

Jerez Test Day Three Results Table		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m17.258	139 Laps
2.	Takuma Sato Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m17.520s	119 Laps
3.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m18.049	96 Laps
4.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m18.049	82 Laps
5.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	1m19.050	72 Laps
6.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m19.319	124 Laps
7.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m19.388	130 Laps
8.	Pedro De La Rosa McLaren	1m19.499	47 Laps
9.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m19.559	134 Laps
10.	Christian Klien BMW	1m19.738	101 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Jerez Test Day Three: Buemi Completes Hat Trick, Sato Continues Good Form

With regards to the actual test today, it was Scuderia Toro Rosso who headed the tables once again, the team running their STR3 which raced during the 2008 campaign. The Austro-Italia squad were evaluating three potential drivers for their yet-to-be-decided 2009 team; Sebastien Bourdais, Sebastien Buemi and Super Aguri refugee Takuma Sato. Buemi led the way again, followed by Sato who was 0.6s down, and finally Bourdais who was a fraction slower than his Japanese rival.

Heikki Kovalainen returned to the (still damp) race track today and drove the MP4-23K fitted with KERS. The Finnish driver completed 64 laps and finished 0.3s shy of his fellow countryman Kimi Raikkonen, who for the second day tested his Ferrari. Team mate Felipe Massa arrived at the circuit mid-afternoon having flown in from Brazil. The Brazilian driver immediately got to work and completed 27 laps before light became too scarce to continue.

Fernando Alonso also made his return to the cockpit this afternoon since completing the Brazilian Grand Prix in November, the Spaniard completing 106 tours of the Jerez circuit in the Renault R28. Alonso caused the first of three red flags of the day, taking a trip off the circuit and partially damaging his car. The team were able to repair it though and the double world champion’s running was only slightly hampered.

BMW fielded both drivers who completed a total of 125 laps between them. Robert Kubica only managed 38 of them as he stopped on track and caused the second red flag. The third went to Nico Rosberg of Williams, the German taking over from Kazuki Nakajima who himself took over from young driver Dani Clos.

Heikki Kovalainen drove a 2008 car fitted with KERS while Pedro De La Rosa drove the interim model, the pair intending to swap for tomorrow. Nico Rosberg, Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica each tested the respective interim cars while Ferrari remained with a slightly modified F2008. Scuderia Toro Rosso continued with the STR3, as did Renault with Fernando Alonso charging around in an aerodynamically unmodified R28.

Jerez Test Day Two Results Table		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m18.073	128 Laps
2.	Takuma Sato Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m18.601s	38 Laps
3.	Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m18.673	81 Laps
4.	Pedro De La Rosa McLaren	1m19.032	78 Laps
5.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m19.334	89 Laps
6.	Heikki Kovalainen McLaren	1m19.631	64 Laps
7.	Fernando Alonso Renault	1m19.907	106 Laps
8.	Nico Rosberg Williams	1m20.309	122 Laps
9.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	1m20.365	87 Laps
10.	Felipe Massa Ferrari	1m20.490	27 Laps
11.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m20.954s	38 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Jerez Test Day Two: Buemi Fastest, McLaren Run Interim Car

Sebastien Buemi was 0.5s quicker than Bourdais and covered fourteen laps more than the French driver over the course of the day’s running. Also running two drivers were McLaren, and the Woking-based team chose to field testers Pedro De La Rosa and Gary Paffett. Early fog and late showers prevented some teams from getting any decent mileage in though, McLaren being one. However, Paffett and De La Rosa stated earlier in the week that they were quite pleased with the way the new car is taking shape and today the Briton was only 0.03s shy of the Spaniard’s time when they were forced to stop due to the worsening weather.

Kimi Raikkonen returned to the cockpit for his first test since loosing the coveted Number One in Brazil in last month. The Finnish driver completed 48 laps while evaluating the Ferrari engine over relatively long runs. Williams and Renault also fielded one driver each, Kazuki Nakajima and Nelson Piquet Jr. each getting a run in their respective cars. Nakajima ended the day in seventh while Piquet Jr. finished in eighth. The second BMW car was piloted by test driver Christian Klien, but his run didn’t last long before the squad made a precautionary engine change.

From the photographs I’ve seen, it looked as though Scuderia Toro Rosso and Renault were running 2008 aerodynamic-spec. cars, while BMW and Williams ran their interim cars which are much closer to the 2009 models, although Williams appeared to using a 2008 front wing. Ferrari went somewhere in between, choosing clean aerodynamics over the engine cover and sidepods, but opting for old-style wings on the front and rear. There was no bulging vent on the Ferrari’s sidepod this time either.

Testing continues tomorrow, but Toyota were once again notably absent. The Cologne-based squad were not present at the first main test in Barcelona, and I don’t think I’ve yet heard an official reason as to why. Force India and Red Bull are also yet to turn a wheel in Jerez, the former having already stated that they are unlikely to test prior to the new year as they fit the new Mercedes engine into their car.

Jerez Test Day One Results Table		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m18.742s	91 Laps
2.	Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m19.288s	77 Laps
3.	Gary Paffett McLaren	1m20.134	26 Laps
4.	Pedro De La Rosa McLaren	1m20.164	21 Laps
5.	Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari	1m20.261	48 Laps
6.	Nick Heidfeld BMW	1m20.678	49 Laps
7.	Kazuki Nakajima Williams	1m21.338	57 Laps
8.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	1m21.547	124 Laps
9.	Christian Klien BMW	1m22.098	15 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Jerez Test Day One: Sebastien Buemi Leads Sebastien Bourdais

Swiss driver Buemi is expected to run for all three days of the testing session, strongly implying that he will indeed replace the outgoing Sebastian Vettel, who has moved to parent-team Red Bull Racing. Therefore it is looking increasingly likely that Bourdais and Sato will be closely watched as the team bosses attempt to decide who should get the ride.

We obviously see this as a positive step but still nothing is decided for the 2009 racing season. Andrew Gilbert-Scott, Manager of Takuma Sato.

Sebastien Bourdais did well at the Barcelona test last month and outshone Buemi on both days the pair were on track. Each day the French pilot lapped the Catalan circuit 0.2s quicker, proving his familiarity with the STR3 chassis and placing himself in a strong position for the “more experienced” role the team are looking for.

However, Bourdais didn’t get everything his own way, and Takuma Sato put in some impressive laps as well. On the first day (when Bourdais wasn’t driving) Sato headed the tables with the fastest lap. On Sato’s final day of testing, he was quicker than Bourdais, but only by 0.017s.

Scuderia Toro Rosso, like all the other teams, only have two race seats available, and a test driver role is pretty limited as the 2009 chassis is expected to be another hand-me-down from Red Bull, especially so as owner Dietrich Mateschitz recently re-acquired Gerhard Berger’s share of the team. There had been murmurings that a decision would be made before Christmas, but this has since been denounced by a team spokesperson.

Original article by BlogF1.

Bourdais, Buemi & Sato To Test Again For Indecisive STR

The Drivers

On the first day of testing, STR fielded Takuma Sato and Sebastien Buemi. Sato has driven for Jordan, BAR/Honda and Super Aguri, but after the Honda junior team went into administration earlier in the year, the Japanese driver has been on the look out for a way back into the sport. Some say third time lucky, others say Sato has had plenty of chances to prove himself already.

A test earlier in the year with STR showed signs of hope for Takuma, and a recall to the post-season session in Spain has added to the speculation that Sato could be the experienced driver they are looking for. However, in his 90 race starts, Sato has only scored 44 points and stood on the podium once – a third place in the 2004 US Grand Prix – so while Sato may have experience of races, he lacks a race-winning mentality, it would seem.

Sebastien Buemi on the other hand has never driven in a Formula One grand prix, having spent the past year as Red Bull’s test and reserve driver. Buemi has also spent the past two years competing in GP2, finishing 21st with ART in 2007 (after racing in only 11 of the 21 events) and came 6th this year with the Arden International team. Sebastien has also enjoyed taking part in many of the Red Bull roadshows, showcasing their Formula One machinery around the world. What Buemi lacks in experience he seems to make up with enthusiasm.

The third option, and possibly the best option is to retain Sebastien Bourdais. The team brought Bourdais over from America for the 2008 season, the French driver entering Formula One with four consecutive Champ Car titles – an impressive feat by anyone’s standards. However, Bourdais’s debut year in Formula One could have gone better, with only two point-finishing results, amounting to a total of four by the end of the year. In comparison to his team mate – Sebastian Vettel – Bourdais looked to be a pretty weak choice. Vettel claimed the team’s (and his own) maiden pole position and victory, as well as a total of 35 points. His year was much more successful.

The Tests

Day one of the test went to Sato, with the Japanese driver claiming the fastest lap of the day, raising eyebrows around the paddock as he went – Sato was certainly focused. Buemi managed second-fastest as well, although the times were perhaps indicative of the team running a more closely resembling 2008 machine than a 2009 machine. The difference between the pair was 0.3s.

The second day saw the cars being shared by all three hopefuls, and once again Sato stamped his authority on his rivals, posting the second-fastest time behind Sebastian Vettel, now in a Red Bull RB4. Bourdais managed third-fastest, just 0.017s shy of Sato, while Buemi placed his car in fourth, 0.2s behind the French driver. The times, it seems, were pretty close.

Day three was between Bourdais and Buemi, and the experience of Bourdais in the car he’s driven for the past year shone through with a second-fastest time. Sebastien Buemi though was only 0.3s down in third. As with the previous two sessions, the times were very close and differentiating between all three is difficult.

Elsewhere in the pitlane, Bruno Senna and Lucas Di Grassi got their hands on a Honda RA108 and managed some respectable times. Senna outpaced Di Grassi on day one, but was outshone on the third day by regular driver Jenson Button. The difference between the two hopefuls on Tuesday was 1.2s. On Thursday though, Senna got within 0.3s of Button’s fastest time. The middle day was Di Grassi against Button, the Briton going 0.5s faster than the Brazilian.

The Result?

So, in terms of lap times (and crudely speaking), STR should go with Sato and Bourdais. Le Seb has experience with the team and did put in some fine performances last season, only to be cruelly let down with reliability woes. Sato is eager to return to racing and fair is fair, the man posted some competitive times. Sato also comes with the added bonus of improving Red Bull’s marketing strategy in Asia, but has also been known to throw cars off the road on occasion. If they wanted some youth in the squad, Bruno Senna looks reasonably handy, but his performance over these past days could result in Honda snapping him up to replace Rubens Barrichello.

So what would you do if you were team-boss Gerhard Berger. The possibilities are numerous, and suffice to say I don’t think any of them can match Vettel for raw pace. So is it better to balance the team with old and young, or go the gutsy way – much in the vein of Eddie Jordan – and hire to young drivers in the hope they can work it all out in time? What would you do?

Image Copyright © TakumaSato.org.

Original article by BlogF1.

Scuderia Toro Rosso: The Bourdais/Sato/Buemi Dilemma

It was Scuderia Toro Rosso hopeful Takuma Sato that set the pace, driving an old STR3 but with slick tyres, and beating fellow hopeful Sebastien Buemi in the sister car. Experienced test driver Alex Wurz wound up third after a full days running, driving a modified Honda RA108. Pedro De La Rosa tested McLaren’s KERS system, while Gary Paffett had added ballast to simulate the weight of the system in his MP4-23. Luca Badoer also carried extra ballast to simulate running the KERS system, and along with Marc Gene, were down in the tables.

Honda also evaluated Bruno Senna and Lucas Di Grassi in the RA108, allowing both drivers a chance to run around the Catalan circuit. Red Bull Racing let world rally champion Sebastien Loeb loose in an RB3, and Giedo Van Der Garde was also allowed to test, having recently signed a contract with the Enstone-based squad. Unfortunately, Van Der Garde’s run was brought to an early end when crashed after just 27 laps. Force India ran Adrian Sutil and test driver Vitantonio Liuzzi, and Williams allowed Nico Hulkenberg out in a 2009-spec. FW30. Hulkenberg caused a red flag when he stopped on track, similarly to Robert Kubica who suffered minor problems, resulting in a third red flag of the day.

Barcelona Test Day One Results Table		Lap Time Fastest Time Set	Laps Set Number Laps Set
1.	Takuma Sato Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m20.763s	121 Laps
2.	Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso	1m21.071s	117 Laps
3.	Alex Wurz Honda	1m21.198s	77 Laps
4.	Pedro De La Rosa McLaren	1m21.417s	65 Laps
5.	Gary Paffett McLaren	1m22.235s	47 Laps
6.	Robert Kubica BMW	1m22.341s	56 Laps
7.	Sebastien Loeb Red Bull Racing	1m22.503s	82 Laps
8.	Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault	1m22.560s	80 Laps
9.	Christian Klien BMW	1m22.883s	53 Laps
10.	Nico Hulkenberg Williams	1m23.467s	116 Laps
11.	Luca Badoer Ferrari	1m23.515s	108 Laps
12.	Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India	1m23.794s	86 Laps
13.	Adrian Sutil Force India	1m23.832s	88 Laps
14.	Bruno Senna Honda	1m24.342s	39 Laps
15.	Marc Gene Ferrari	1m24.521s	33 Laps
16.	Giedo Van Der Garde Renault	1m24.908s	27 Laps
17.	Lucas Di Grassi Honda	1m25.512s	48 Laps

Original article by BlogF1.

Barcelona Test Day One: STR Hopefuls Top Tables