F1 FIRST TEST SESSION IN VALENCIA 1-3 FEBRUARY

Sport » Autosport

Staff Reporter / 2010-02-04 15:29:41

Lewis Hamilton

The now restricted Formula One testing sessions got under way at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit at Valencia on the 1st February, this is not a F1 circuit and is really known for its hosting of a round of the Moto GP.

But with its tight corners and short straights it makes it a good place to start as the new regulations mean testing to the limits is vital, the main change this year is that no refueling is allowed and therefore the tank is much larger taking more space.

The other major change is that the cars will have a narrower front end and will be using narrower dry tyres which could upset the balance of the car, especially with a full load of fuel. All the teams ran tests with full fuel loads and a few ran full race distances to see how the cars performed under the new regulations.

The Ricardo Tormo Circuit saw the return of Michael Schumacher to F1 and he performed well and although the new Mercedes were lacking some pace, Michael was nearly half a second quicker than his team mate Nico Rosberg. Lewis Hamilton got in plenty of laps on Tuesday in his McLaren and was reasonably quick ending fifth fastest and he said he was feeling very happy with the setup of his car.

Jenson Button only tested on Wednesday and had a few problems getting comfortable in the car, so a lot of time was spent adjusting his McLaren which left him tenth fastest seventh tenths of a second behind Lewis.

The Ferrari’s set the quickest times with Fernando Alonso being a third of a second ahead of Felipe Massa, the latter making his return to F1 after recovering from a fractured skull. Also making a return to F1 was the 38 year old Spaniard Pedro De la Rosa and he ended the three days being fourth quickest in the BMW Sauber-Ferrari.

Alonso tested Wednesday and there was a 30,000 plus crowd, I am sure everyone of them had come to watch their favourite Spaniard, he was cheered on every lap especially when he managed to pass World Champion Jenson Button. The next test session is at the Jerez Circuit followed by Barcelona.

Top Ten Times
1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1min 11.470secs
2. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1min 11.722secs
3. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1min 12.056secs
4. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1min 12.094secs
5. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1min 12.256secs
6. Robert Kubica Renault 1min 12.426secs
7. Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP 1min 12.438secs
8. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1min 12.576secs
9. Nico Rosburg Mercedes GP 1min 12.899secs
10. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1min 12.951secs

F1 First Test Session at Ricardo Tormo Circuit, Valencia.
1 – 3 February 2010

Photos and report by Malcolm Byrom