Your one-stop destination for driver reaction to the second day of testing in Southern Spain...
What the drivers at work on Wednesday are saying
Your one-stop destination for driver reaction to the second day of testing in Southern Spain...
Mercedes' Michael Schumacher: "We made the most of a reliable car today to do lots of laps and learn a lot about the new Pirelli tyres, and how they perform on longer and shorter runs, and with different set-up configurations. It was a good and productive test, full of lots of useful information for the season ahead, and I am now looking forward to driving our 2012 car for the first time at the next test."
Red Bull's Mark Webber: "It was pretty good today. I think we're making good progress although, as I keep saying, it's still very early days in the concept of the car and we have a lot to get through before we race it. But it's the same for all the teams. We did well on the mileage today. I guess we could have done a bit more, but it was positive overall and the conditions were good to test in."
Ferrari's Felipe Massa: "It is a brand new car and it is not a (type of) car that we had in the last years; even to start with. So it is a car that needs a lot more work, a car that you need a lot more things to try as well. Today I did so many laps, just trying such different things on the car...it was a programme really in the direction to understand every single point from the car. I think it was so many things to do which it was not the case in the past on the first day even."
Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen: "There was a small issue with damage to the floor this morning when I went off and came back on to the circuit. An edge on a kerb caused the damage and we lost some time as it was repaired. Apart from that it was a good day and we completed some long runs and good mileage. Physically, I felt fine after 117 laps. Conditions were quite windy on track but despite this I got a better feeling from the car. There was a lot of difference between the tyres. We used three compounds, but it was hard to get all of them working with the cooler temperatures today. When the tyres are working we seem to have a good car and I have a positive feeling from this first test. "
Force India's Paul di Resta: "Half a day, but quite intense: 69 laps in just over three hours, which is a really good effort. But it was also one of the more difficult days because the wind seemed to get very strong from midday onwards, which made driving the car very tricky. However, we managed to get a clear direction on a couple of set-up changes so that's given us an indication of the areas we should explore over the coming weeks. After 101 laps yesterday and 115 today, we've clearly built a good, strong car, but now it's about getting into the detail, going over the data and getting ready for Barcelona."
Force India's Jules Bianchi: "It was a really good morning and great to get my chance in the new car so early on. There was a lot to get used to, especially the steering wheel and remembering where all the switches are, but it didn't take too long before I felt happy in the car. It may only have been half a day, but the team asked me to do quite a lot of things and we managed to complete almost 50 laps before lunch. For me this year is all about learning and helping the team as much as I can, so today was important for that and getting to know the team. It's great that I am back in the car tomorrow and I will try and get closer to the limit, because it's important preparation for my Friday practice running this year."
Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo: "I am happy with what we did today: one hundred laps is around twice the distance we did yesterday. So we achieved our aim of getting plenty of miles for me and the car with a mix of short and long runs, trying three different tyre compounds. I also did some practice starts and pit entry tests, just about as much as one can do in one day. We have made progress and were even able to do some back to back runs to start finding out how the car reacts to set-up changes."
Sauber's Sergio Perez: "For me it was a positive day. It was great to be back on track after the winter break and so far I'm happy with the new car. I feel confident. It was a shame that we lost track time due to the fuel system problem in the afternoon, but I think we can catch up tomorrow. We have a huge programme for Thursday and I'm looking forward to it very much. Compared to yesterday we have already learnt a great deal more about the C31."
Caterham's Heikki Kovalainen: "I feel very happy with the work we have completed today. Yesterday we had a problem that was nothing to do with the car so today was our first real day of testing and we had a trouble free day, completing most of what we wanted to on day one and day two and working through a variety of setup changes. We ran on each of the tyre compounds and I'm really starting to get a feel for the car. Basically it's good news because it confirms what I thought yesterday. This car is a lot better than the 2011 car, it's quicker and everything works as we want it to. We've made very solid progress and I feel really good physically, so I think there's a lot more to come."
Williams' Pastor Maldonado: "We ran through our test programme and covered everything we needed to today. We did some long runs this afternoon and the car is looking good. We will now spend some time analysing all of the data we have gathered. It's good to put more mileage on the FW34 and we now aim to continue that throughout the next two days."
HRT's Pedro de la Rosa: "Today we've progressed quite a bit as the day wore on; we've got more out of the car without having changed practically anything. Above all, today served me to get to know the tyres better. We all got to know each other a bit better and worked well together. I got rid of the rust yesterday and today I refreshed myself. On the first day the objective was not to go to the limit, but to get to know the people and for all of us to start working together. And the team did a good job. Today was more about seeing how far I could go, and that is why I think we improved on our times so much. Today I'm even more satisfied than yesterday, but on a personal note because I drove better. I'm leaving with a smile on my face and very much looking forward to Barcelona".
