Well, not exactly the last week of test, but the last week of full group tests. There's a private test next week too that some teams are attending.
First off, the times.
BrawnGP was setting the pace most of the day until BMW pulled a few fast ones out of the bag. Interesting to note that BMW's laptime today is faster than the Q2 low fuel qualifying time of last year! So I guess it's expected that the cars this year will be pretty damn close or even slightly faster than last year's times as predicted early on in winter testing.
BrawnGP is said to be running low fuel runs as fast as they can, because they're trying to drum up support for sponsorship. But hey, those are respectable times for day 1 of testing!
McLaren still slow, nobody knows WTF they're doing, but they did introduce a completely new floor, body (mainly around exhaust area) in the afternoon and clocked 1.5s faster times with that modification alone. Haug mentioned that McLaren will be introducing a new floor/diffuser/wing package a few weeks ago that allows them to run a low drag/low DF rear wing. It's slowly coming together. They're still missing a key piece of the puzzle, the rear diffuser and rear wing. As of now, all the '09 wings that McLaren has been running are non adjustable, so speculation is that they're keeping everything hidden last minute. Macca fans can only hope...
For now, here are the PR's for today.
Ferrari:
BMW:Final test session at the Catalunya Circuit for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
Circuit: Circuit de Catalunya - 4.655 km
Driver: Kimi Raikkonen
Car: Ferrari F60
Weather: air temperature 10/17 °C, track temperature 11/24 °C. Overcast in the morning, then cloudy with a few sunny spells.
Today saw Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro initiate its final test session at the Catalunya Circuit, near Barcelona, prior to the start of the World Championship season. Kimi Raikkonen was tasked with taking the controls of the Ferrari F60, alongside nine other teams testing here - the first time this year that all the teams have been present at the same time.
The Finnish driver worked on finding the best set-up for the car, on reliability and on a comparison between various aerodynamic solutions. Kimi covered a total of 81 laps, the quickest in a time of 1:20.908.
Testing continues at this circuit tomorrow, again with Kimi Raikkonen on track.
McLaren:BMW Sauber F1 Team - Test in Barcelona - Day one
09.03.2009 Pressemeldung
Test in Barcelona.
March 9th – 12th 2009
Day one – Monday
Weather conditions: Sunny in the morning, overcast in the afternoon.
Temperature: Air: 10 – 18 °C, Track: 11 – 23 °C
Number of drivers participating: 10 from 10 teams
Fastest lap overall: Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber F1 Team) 1:20.338 min
Circuit length: 4.655 km
Nick Heidfeld
Chassis / engine: BMW Sauber F1.09-04 / BMW 86/9
Test kilometres today: 429 (92 laps)
Fastest lap: 1:20.338 min
Programme:
With the final pre-season test under way, the BMW Sauber F1 Team geared up to make its final preparations for the Australian Grand Prix. On the first day of the Barcelona test Nick Heidfeld concentrated on race related procedures, i. e. pit stop practice, to fine tune the working relationship between the driver, engineers and mechanics. Heidfeld also did a couple of practice starts.
“The weather was perfect for today’s programme”, Heidfeld said after completing 92 laps. “We could try a lot of different set-up solutions and even do some aero work.”
What comes next:
The BMW Sauber F1 Team will continue testing in Barcelona for three more days. Nick Heidfeld will be at the wheel of the BMW Sauber F1.09 again tomorrow. On Wednesday and Thursday Robert Kubica will take over driving duties.
And pics...Date: Monday March 9 2009
Drivers: Heikki Kovalainen
Location: Circuit de Catalunya
Track Length: 4.655km
Weather: Dry and cloudy
Track temperature: Maximum 33.9°C
Air temperature: Maximum 14.9°C
Laps run today: 90
Laps run in total at test: 90
Kilometres covered today: 419km
Kilometres covered in total at test: 419km
Best lap time today: 1m22.948 at 17:02pm
Best lap time of the test: 1m22.948
Programme: The morning session was spent focusing on longer runs using an existing bodywork package in order to establish an accurate baseline ahead of the evaluation of new parts in the afternoon. During the lunchbreak, MP4-24 was fitted with a new front wing, floor and top body and the programme continued - on identical fuel-loads - throughout the afternoon. The team now turns its focus towards tuning the set-up in order to fully exploit the characteristics of the new aero kit.
McLaren's morning floor vs afternoon "new" floor:
McLaren rear view:
Morning bodywork vs afternoon "new" bodywork:
Today's testing video:
Autosport analysis of McLaren's new floor:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73642
Until tomorrow kids!