Young Driver Test – Magny-Cours report day 3

Formula One day 3 test report

Today’s testing report from Formula One teams & drivers in Magny-Cours. Successful Formula 1 test concludes at Magny-Cours.

Successful Formula 1 test concludes at Magny-Cours.

Formula 1 testing concluded at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours this afternoon following three trouble-free days for Scuderia Ferrari, MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS and Sahara Force India at the French venue.

Morning running was limited after light overnight rain left track conditions damp for the 9am start, though the teams were able to complete a number of medium-length runs before lunchtime.

And though dark clouds continued to linger above the track no further rain would fall, ensuring the remainder of the session took place on a dry circuit. In fact as running continued into the afternoon there were increasing expanses of blue sky and sunshine above, allowing the teams to up their workloads and add further mileage to that accumulated earlier in the week.

Of chief interest during the final day was Frenchman Jules Bianchi’s bid to complete a clean sweep of the test after topping the timesheets on both Tuesday and Wednesday.

The 23-year-old switched back to Scuderia Ferrari after spending yesterday aboard Sahara Force India’s VJM05 and once again proved unbeatable, recording a 1m16.985 late in the session to ensure his dominance of the test. Bianchi ran a total of 138 laps before quickly departing the circuit en-route to his crucial Formula Renault 3.5 race weekend in Hungary.

Second fastest was GP2 Series competitor Rodolfo Gonzalez who made his first appearance for the Sahara Force India outfit at Magny-Cours, though the Venezuelan could call upon previous Formula 1 testing experience as he acclimatised to his new equipment. The 26-year-old worked through 79 laps in the Mercedes-powered machine with a best effort of 1m18.018.

Completing Thursday’s runners was MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS driver Brendon Hartley with a lap of 1m18.671. It was a significant day for the 22-year-old New Zealand-born driver as he made his first appearance in an official test session for the German manufacturer, though like Gonzalez the Kiwi had prior seat-time in Formula 1 machinery ahead of his 87-lap programme.

Impressively, Thursday’s running was not interrupted by a single stoppage as all three drivers proved highly competent at the controls of Formula 1 equipment.

Jules Bianchi, Scuderia Ferrari: “After these three days of testing I feel ready to race in Formula 1. I grew up a lot and learned a great deal driving with Ferrari and Force India, so it has been a good experience all-round. As it was damp this morning we just ran checks. It was my first time on intermediate tyres, so I was familiarising myself with the track and car in those conditions. Driving in the wet was cool, though obviously there was not a lot of grip out there on the inters. Overall I think this has positive test for me and I feel even more prepared for Formula 1.”

Rodolfo Gonzalez, Sahara Force India: “Today has been a great experience. The conditions were quite difficult to begin with because of the wet start to the day, but it was good to try out the wet and intermediate tyres. The other main task was getting used to the control systems and building my speed and feel for the car. I’m quite happy with my pace today, although I think there was more to come because it was my first time driving at Magny-Cours and my first time in the car. The team did a great job of making me feel welcome and comfortable, and I really hope to get another chance to drive a Formula One car soon.”

Brendon Hartley, MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS: “It was an amazing feeling to be back driving a Formula One car today and I would like to thank the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS team for giving me this opportunity. The track was quite wet this morning so we lost some time but once it had dried out we were able to get on with the test programme, using mainly the hard tyre. It was a successful day for both me and the team, and we completed the programme, despite the weather.”

Young Driver Test – Magny-Cours results day 3

Day 3: Times/Laps/Distance covered

1. Jules Bianchi (Scuderia Ferrari) – 1m16.985 – 138 laps – 607.2km
2. Rodolfo Gonzalez (Sahara Force India) – 1m18.018 – 79 laps – 347.6km
3. Brendon Hartley (MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS) – 1m18.671 – 87 laps – 382.8km

Red Bull Racing

coming soon

source: Red Bull Racing, redbullracing.com

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

coming soon

source: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, mclaren.com

Scuderia Ferrari

Bianchi brings Magny-Cours test to a close

Testing at the Magny-Cours circuit

13 September 2012
Magny-Cours, 13 September
Circuit: Magny-Cours – 4.411 km
Driver: Jules Bianchi
Car: Ferrari F2012
Weather: air temperature 14/19 °C, track temperature 16/24 °C. Rain in the morning,sunny at times in the afternoon.

For the third and final day of the Young Driver Test at Magny-Cours, Jules Bianchi, who had already driven on Tuesday, was back at the wheel of the F2012. Light rain made conditions tricky at the start of the day, with conditions improving as the sun came out, gradually drying the track. Today, the French driver completed 138 laps, making a total of 992.47 over his two days in the car, while today his best time was 1.16.985.

“In the morning, I did a few laps to get a feel for the car on the intermediate tyres and even though there was not much grip, it was no bad thing to get some experience in the wet, after two days of dry testing” said Bianchi at the end of the day. “After a few hours the track dried and we carried on with our programme, centred mainly on aerodynamic measurement and setup evaluation. I feel I learned a lot from this test and I think the work was constructive for me and for the team. We tried to improve the balance of the car and looked at some things that could be useful in the upcoming races.”

With the Young Driver Test over, the Scuderia is now preparing for the Singapore Grand Prix, the fourteenth round of the World Championship, which takes place on the eponymous street circuit from 21 to 23 September.

source: Scuderia Ferrari, ferrari.com

Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team

MAGNY COURS TEST – DAY THREE

Date Thursday 13 September
Track Magny Cours
Driver Brendon Hartley
No of Laps 87 laps
Best Lap Time 1:18.671
Kms Covered 384 km
Track Length 4.411 km
Total Test Kms 1354 km
Weather Wet morning / dry afternoon

The final day of the Young Driver Test in Magny Cours today saw Brendon Hartley, one of our simulator drivers, have his first chance to drive the team’s Formula One car on track.

Wet conditions this morning meant the Pirelli intermediate and wet tyres were required for the first time this week
The team took an early lunch and were then able to use the hard compound tyre for set-up work over longer runs
Brendon completed a total of 87 laps and 384 km today

Over the three days, the team completed a total of 1354 km and successfully completed the planned programme.

Brendon Hartley

It was an amazing feeling to be back driving a Formula One car today, and I would like to thank the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS team for giving me this opportunity. The track was quite wet this morning so we lost some time but once it had dried out, we were able to get on with the test programme, using mainly the hard tyre. It was a successful day for both me and the team, and we completed the programme, despite the weather.

I’m happy with my performance and pleased that it only took a couple of runs before I was on the pace as it’s been three years since I last drove a Formula One car. I’m very grateful for the experience and really enjoyed working with the team today.

Ross Brawn

Today sees the conclusion of a successful three day test for the team in Magny Cours with our young drivers Sam Bird and Brendon Hartley. This was an important test, allowing both drivers some important track time in a Formula One car, and enabling us to continue our development programme with the evaluation of our new upgrades. Both Sam and Brendon have driven very well, providing good and consistent feedback, and I would like to thank them for their efforts and diligence over the last three days. We now have a wealth of data from the test to study back at the factory over the next few days and in advance of the forthcoming race in Singapore.

TIMES

Pos Driver Car Time Laps
1. Jules Bianchi Ferrari 1:16.985 138
2. Rodolfo Gonzalez Sahara Force India 1:18.018 79
3. Brendon Hartley MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS 1:18.671 87

source: Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, mercedes-gp.com

Lotus F1 Team

coming soon

source: Lotus F1 Team, lotusrenaultgp.com

Sahara Force India F1 Team

Magny-Cours Test Report, 13 September 2012

Sahara Force India completed its final day of young driver testing as Rodolfo Gonzalez got behind the wheel of the VJM05 and completed 79 laps.

Day Three Stats

Chassis: VJM05-04
Laps: 79 laps
Mileage: 348 km
Fastest lap: 1:18.018

Rodolfo Gonzalez: “Today has been a great experience. The conditions were quite difficult to begin with because of the wet start to the day, but it was good to try out the wet and intermediate tyres. The other main task was getting used to the control systems and building my speed and feel for the car. I’m quite happy with my pace today, although I think there was more to come because it was my first time driving at Magny-Cours and my first time in the car. The team did a great job of making me feel welcome and comfortable, and I really hope to get another chance to drive a Formula One car soon. ”

Jakob Andreasen, Chief Engineer

“A good end to our test in Magny-Cours and it was good to work with Rodolfo for the first time. We lost track time in the morning with the wet conditions, but the weather cleared up for the afternoon allowing him to run the hard, medium and soft tyres. So he was able to sample the car in all conditions, which is always valuable experience. We also made sure he carried out pit stop simulations and launches, as we did with Luiz earlier in the week. The other items on the job list included running different aero settings, which went smoothly. Overall it has been an excellent week with a super-human effort by the team to run this test alongside preparations for Singapore.”

source: Sahara Force India F1 Team, forceindiaf1.com