After Fast times over the past few days by Felipe Massa (Ferrari, fastest so far with 1:11.722), and great times by Kamui Kobayshi (BMW Sauber, 1:12.056) amongst other, today brings 10 World Titles to the track, with reigning champion Jenson Button in his first ever McLaren test. And the big one, the return of Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) vs Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP). This will be the revitalised Alonso's first ever test for the Scuderia. Jenson Button will be looking to get used to the car and capitalise on the consistency found by Lewis Hamilton (1:12.256) yesterday.
Yesterday the FIA has confirmed the change in the scoring system. On the other hand, the FIA have also approved the pilots arriving in the Q3 will have to use the same tires bearing at the time the race starts. The new points system was originally 25-20-15-10-8-6-5-3-2-1 but is now 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1. The main change being 2nd place now has more incentive to go for the win.If you cant wait for the excitement that is 2010 testing, then think of this commentator! Click to View Mark Webber funny Introduction F1 Video
Valencia, Day 3 - F1 Testing 2010, 3nd February, 2010
UPDATES:
17:00h Session over. Here are the final times from the session, and a combination times from the 3 days:
BEST TIMES FROM WHOLE 3 DAYS AT VALENCIA F1 TEST:
F. Alonso (Ferrari) 1:11.470s
F. Massa (Ferrari) 1:11.722
K. Kobayashi (BMW Sauber) 1:12.056
P. De la Rosa (BMW Sauber) 1:12.094
L. Hamilton (McLaren) 1:12.256
R. Kubica (Renault) 1:12.426
M. Schumacher (Mercedes GP)1:12.438
J. Alguersuari(Toro Rosso) 1:12.576
N. Rosberg (GP Mercedes)1:12.899
J. Button (McLaren) 1:12.951
V. Petrov (Renault) 1:13.097
R. Barrichello(Williams) 1:13.377
N. Hulkenberg (Williams) 1:13.669
S. Buemi (Toro Rosso) 1:13.823
G. Paffett (McLaren) 1:13.846
Day 3 Times:
1 Alonso Ferrari 1:11.470s
2 De la Rosa Sauber 1:12.094s
3 Schumacher Mercedes 1:12.438s
4 Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1:12.576s
5 Button McLaren 1:12.951s
6 Petrov Renault 1:13.097s
7 Hulkenberg Williams 1:13.669s
16:58h Alguersuari pits as does Petrov. Looks like the end to a great day of testing in Valencia. The 35,000+ fans got a treat from Fernando Alonso in his first real test for Ferrari in the F10. Setting the fastest time of the 3 day test. Ferrari powered cars lead the way with Ferrari, and BMW Sauber.
16:57h Button heads back into the pits. Shame, we wanted to see a fast lap. Is the McLaren more suited to Hamilton, or is Button just getting into the swing of things with a new team. We will have to wait until next test to find out. Comment below on your thoughts
16.49 h 1:13.098 for the Spaniard on the final lap. Button back on track for final 10 minutes.
16:45 h Alguersuari the pits. Alonso and De la Rosa on track, 1:13, 1:15, respectively.
16:41h Alonso does a crowd waving 1:16m, whilst Pedro and Jamie do high 1:14s low 1:15s respectively.
CHECK OUT ALONSO DRIFTING THE FERRARI! Is the Ferrari really that fast he can showboat?
16:40h Petrov comes out to play with the Spanish. Alonso nets his 110th lap.
16:39h All the home team are on track now. Pedro, Fernando and Jamie. Schumacher has hydraulic problems hence lack of recent action. Button pits to make way for the Spanish Armada.
16:30h 1:16 Alonso loaded with petrol. 1:13 high for Button.
Virgin F1 announcement video. Cheesy but informative.
16:27hOnly Button out on track, doing a longish run. 30mins to go now! Surely time for an Alonso crowd pleasing run!
16:25h THERE IS A NEW BRITISH DRIVER IN F1. Although only as a test driver. Scot Paul di Resta was appointed to the test and reserve role by Force India. At Valencia, Alguersuari and De la Rosa into the pits. Valencia official spectator figures are an incredible 36, 400 fans today!
16:18 h Petrov exits the pits while watching the other drivers still setting times slower than the morning. The reason probably due to tests with different fuel loads and setups.
16:15h Alonso is chasing Button on the track! A glimpse into the future? A rare sight in testing
16:10h 1:12.904 for the Spaniard. Alguersuari and Hulkenberg out on track
16:08 h Button also comes out and Alonso's last lap 1:13.213
Alonso's garage
16:09h More pictures from Valencia and the Virgin F1 diffuser. Alonso and Petrov on track
Virgin F1 Diffuser
16:00 h Petrov the Renault driver has came out of the pits. One one hour to go! Will we see some time sheet specials?
As it stands:
1. F. Alonso (Ferrari) 1:11.470 (91 laps)
2. P. Martinez de la Rosa (BMW Sauber) 1:12.094 (57 laps)
3. M. Schumacher (Mercedes Grand Prix) 1:12.438 (82 laps)
4. J. Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) 1:12.576 (68 laps)
5. J. Button (McLaren) 1:12.951 (58 laps)
6. V. Petrov (Renault) 1:13.582 (58 laps)
7. N. Hulkenberg (Williams) 1:13.669 (118 laps)
15:45 h Alguersuari also in pits. All quiet in Valencia at the moment.
15:36 h Alonso at the wheel in 1:15.772, De la Rosa on 1:15.458 and 1:16.629 Alguersuari
15:32 h Alguersuari in 1:16.673 for his final lap. 1:15.897 for Pedro
15:30 h De La Rosa and Jamie Alguersuari on track
15:20h Alonso is touring at 1:29s while Schumacher: 1:14.741.
15:10 h Right now 30,000 fans are Ricardo Tormo circuit! An amazing amount for a test session! The burger van must be making a mint!
15:08 h Fernando Alonso back on track
15:05 h Petrov improved his personal best: 1:13.582
14:55 h Right now on track: Alguersuari, Petrov, Schumacher and Hulkenberg
14:49 h Button does two laps in high 1:13s, while De la Rosa has done 1: 12.915 and 1:13.106. They are the only two drivers on track. BMW Sauber showing promise. Will they be called BMW Sauber Ferrari?
14:42 h Time now for Jenson Button, who returns to the track.
14:40 h Provisional times:
- F. Alonso (Ferrari) 1:11.470 (75)
- P. De la Rosa (BMW Sauber) 1:12.094 (41)
- M. Schumacher (Mercedes Grand Prix) 1:12.438 (65)
- J. Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) 1:12.576 (38)
- J. Button (McLaren) 1:12.951 (33)
- V. Petrov (Renault) 1:13.889 (47)
- N. Hulkenberg (Williams) 1:13.669 (81)
14:20h Another shot of the Virgin F1 car. A very traditional looking nose. Could be a showpiece, but interesting to see the first new team car. Most teams at Valencia are on lunch now.
14:15h 1:16.033 for the Spaniard on the last lap ... He could be trying different fuel loads. De la Rosa did a 1:12.118 few minutes ago.
14:13h We are back. Alonso Exits the pits again
13:46h Fernando Alonso with a new fastest lap of 1:11.470!
13:42 h Pit-stop for Michael to return to the pits and Button pits again
13:41 h 1:12.951 for McLaren
13:40 h Exit Alonso and Button down to 1:13.088
13:39 h Schumi 1:15
13:27 h No drivers on the track at the moment.
13:23 h Now he enters the pits, Alonso finishes a mega run. He has clocked 11 laps, which were all fast:
- 1:12.600
- 1:12.302
- 1:12.133
- 1:11.985
- 1:12.122
- 1:12.133
- 1:12.240
- 1:12.000
- 1:11.669
- 1:13.205
- 1:11.625
13:19 h 1:11.625 for Fernando Alonso on the last lap. Still pushing with a virtually empty track.
13:18 h 10 timed laps for the Spaniard. Last lap 1:13.205
13:12h Fernando is owning out there! The Ferrari driver does, 1:12.302, 1:12.133, 1:11.985 then a 1:12.133. Consistent and fast! McLaren and the rest must take note.
13:06h Alonso sends the fans crazy as he leave s the pits once more. Hulkenberg does an impressive 1:13.6
13:00h Nico Hulkenberg is doing very consistent laps which will please Williams fans. 1:14s.
Out of interest from a request here is the best times form the 3 days at Valencia so far. Things to note, top 4 drivers have Ferrari engines.
Dont read too much into them, as fuel loads and weather is different.
F. Alonso (Ferrari) 1:11.599 (41)
F. Massa (Ferrari) 1:11.722 (124)
K. Kobayashi (BMW Sauber) 1:12.056 (96)
P. De la Rosa (BMW Sauber) 1:12.094 (28)
L. Hamilton (McLaren) 1:12.256 (108)
R. Kubica (Renault) 1:12.426 (119)
M. Schumacher (Mercedes GP) 1:12.438 (30)
J. Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) 1:12.576 (37)
N. Rosberg (GP Mercedes) 1:12.899 (119)
R. Barrichello (Williams) 1:13.377 (102)
J. Button (McLaren) 1:13.498 (23)
S. Buemi (Toro Rosso) 1:13.823 (107)
G. Paffett (McLaren) 1:13.846 (86)
V. Petrov (Renault) 1:14.009 (29)
N. Hulkenberg (Williams) 1:14.121 (54)
12:53h Virgin Racing F1 finally shows their car. Stefan GP will test their car in Bahrain, even though they still dont have a place on the grid! Thats determination. Where is Campos's car?
Button is back in the pits. Time for a recap on the times
- F. Alonso (Ferrari) 1:11.599 (41)
- P. De la Rosa (BMW Sauber) 1:12.094 (28)
- M. Schumacher (Mercedes GP) 1:12.438 (30)
- J. Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) 1:12.576 (37)
- J. Button (McLaren) 1:13.498 (23)
- V. Petrov (Renault) 1:14.009 (29)
- N. Hulkenberg (Williams) 1:14.121 (54)
12:43 h Jenson Button improved his personal time, leaving him in 1:13.544. Hulkenberg is rolling in mid-high 1:14s.
12:38 h The reigning champion Button does a 1:14.501, while the two-time world champion does in 1:12.263. Button is still trying to adjust, or does he just have more fuel?
12:35 h In his sixth lap of the stint, the F10 of Alonso turns around in 1:12.054. Button, meanwhile, marks 1:16.362 on his first lap of a new stint.
12:31 h Fernando Alonso is exploiting the fact of being alone on the track (in previous stints he had traffic with Petrov or Hulkenberg ahead) and returns to improve his time in the previous stint, with a 1:12.183.
12:30h Schumacher is wearing a prototype black carbon Schuberth helmet today.
12:28h Crowds are packed waiting for Alonso again. He's back on track now
12:21 h Petrov into the pits, leaving only De la Rosa out there. Quiet times
12:20 h De la Rosa is rolling in 1:12 Low
12:19 h 1:14.009 for the Russian
12:18 h 1:14.700 for Petrov
12:05h Jenson after his first stint
And the McLaren Aero paint on the floor as he came out.
12:02 h Two hours after his debut, the Spaniard has already lowered the best time achieved by Felipe Massa yesterday and achieved a 1:11.599 before pitting. Track is quiet.
12:01 h but 1:11.709 for Alonso! Fastest of the 3 days! Alonso had only came out of the pits 3 minutes before. Could be a short run?
12:00 h 1:12.438 for Schumacher
11:54 h Jenson is getting into the groove. 2 solid 1:14s. Best being 1:14.147 for the reigning champion
11:50h Speak of the Devil, Ben Royall reports Jenson is out again, and laps a solid 1.15.833.
11:49h Still no sign of Jenson after his installation lap.
11:43 h De la Rosa and Alguersuari, the only ones rolling at the moment ...
11:42 h Alonso pits after completing a short stint in which he was unable to improve time, made a while ago, the 1:11.905
11:31h Reporter Ben Royall reports that Virgin Racing F1's car has been developed digitally. No wind tunnel. With computer power, a wind tunnel is no said to be needed, but that all depends on the accuracy of the model program. Will be interesting to see this "new breed" of car on the track.
11:30h Pictures of Alonso text in Spanish
11:25 h The peace and quiet on track to do a review of lap times and performed:
- F. Alonso, 1:11.905 (14 laps)
- P. De la Rosa: 1:12.293 (6 laps)
- M. Schumacher: 1:12.450 (21 laps)
- J. Alguersuari: 1:12.576 (28 laps)
- N. Hulkenberg: 1:14.474 (23 laps)
- V. Petrov: 1:15.240 (15 laps)
- J. Button: 1:32.980 (3 laps)
11:19 h Schumacher 1:12.450 to continue to improve their times
11:14 h The Kaiser improves the time of Alguersuari and remains in third with 1:12.548
11:11 h Alguersuari back on track
11:10 h The seven-times world champion starts to roll ...
11:07h Virgin Racing F1 will unveil today. Pictures form their launch event are here. Hulkenberg 1:16.041
11:00h Latest times:
Alonso 1m11.905;
de la Rosa 12.293;
Alguersuari 1m12.576;
Schumacher 1m13.686s;
Petrov 1m17.425s;
Hulkenberg 1m17.723s;
Button 1m32.980s.
10:57h Reports from Sauber technical director Willy Rampf says there was a "clash" between Pedro de la Rosa and Hulkenberg, which caused the red flag earlier.
10:53h Alonso sends Spain mad with a superb 1m11.905s! Only 2 tenths off Massa
10:47 h 1:12.677 and 1:12.861 for the Spaniard to the Catalan
10:45 h 1:13.006 for Alonso and 1:13.254 for Alguersuari
10:39 h Activity resumes at the Ricardo Tormo.
10:36 h While waiting for green flag again lets check out action from the past two days:
10:26 h Pedro in the BMW Sauber C29 has been stopped between turns 5 and 6, the Angel Nieto. The crane is already on the scene collecting the car to bring him back to the garage for BMW Sauber. Pedro had done a 1:12.293. Schumacher's fastest so far a lap of 1:13.038
10:25h SESSION STOPPED RED FLAG - De La Rosa's car has stopped on track.
10:24h Footage from yesterday featuring Ferrari:
10:18 h 1:15.882 for Schumi.
10:17 h We already have the first lap of the day's work for the Herr Schumacher, 1:17.180, while Button does a lightning quick 1:32.980 installation lap.
10:17h It will be interesting to see if McLaren and Renault use the "green ink" again to see if the airflow if matching the wind tunnel predictions. This bizarre technique of luminescent paint to check the airflow over the car's surfaces. A team spokesman said this was routine practice, despite this device having been used to try to iron out faults at the start of the 2009 season in what was considered to be a difficult car.
10:10h A reminder of yesterdays times for comparison:
Times and laps made by the drivers on Day 2 at Valencia:
- F. Massa (Ferrari) 1:11.722 (124 laps)
- K. Kobayashi (BMW Sauber) 1:12.056 (96 laps)
- L. Hamilton (McLaren) 1:12.256 (108 laps)
- R. Kubica (Renault) 1:12.426 (119 laps)
- N. Rosberg (GP Mercedes) 1:12.899 (119 laps)
- R. Barrichello (Williams) 1:13.377 (102 laps)
- S. Buemi (Toro Rosso) 1:13.823 (107 laps)
10:00 GREEN FLAG! Alguersuari & Hulkenberg are the first men on track to complete the formation lap!
09:50 h Yesterday 15,500 fans filled the stands in Valencia. With the presence of Alonso ... How many people will travel to the circuit?
09:48 h High expectation today, everyone in Spain, and the World wants to see Alonso running with the F10 vs Schumacher's Mercedes
09:45 h With 15 minutes to the start of the session, remember to drivers today, on the Ricardo Tormo circuit:
- Ferrari: Fernando Alonso
- McLaren: Jenson Button
- Mercedes GP: Michael Schumacher
- BMW Sauber: Peter M. de la Rosa
- Toro Rosso: Alguersuari
- Williams: Nico Hulkenberg
- Renault Robert Kubica
09:38 h As was the case on Monday and Tuesday, its a sunny day but at the same time quite cold at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo de Cheste
Welcome to Valencia!
