Valencia Tests: Ferrari Dominates
They may not have Michael Schumacher with them, but in the form of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, Ferrari triumphs in the pre-season testing sessions held in Valencia, Spain.
Fernando Alonso, in his new Ferrari outfit, was impressive in his debut for the scarlet team and set the best time of the week at 1:11.599.29, beating the best timing set by teammate Massa (1:11.722).
Michael Schumacher in his Mercedes GP car shone like he had been driving an F1 car all these years since his proclaimed retirement at the end of 2006. Featuring on Day 1 and Day 3, Schumacher was comfortably in third place.
Reigning world champion Jenson Button's debut in Mclaren was less impressive than that of Alonso, down in 5th place on the 3rd day. Teammate Lewis Hamilton had been on track on the 2nd day and was third.
However, it is important to take these timings with a pinch of salt. Early season tests are typically for teams to run their PR activities with the car launches and for fans to get the first look of the new cars. With the new rules in place, such as the refuelling ban and tyre rules, there's no saying who will come up top of the teams.
Day 3* (session still ongoing at time of report)
1 Alonso Ferrari 1:11.599 29 laps
2 de la Rosa Sauber 1:12.094 21 laps
3 Schumacher Mercedes 1:12.438 30 laps
4 Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1:12.576 37 laps
5 Button McLaren 1:13.498 +1.899 14 laps
6 Petrov Renault 1:14.009 +2.410 47 laps
7 Hulkenberg Williams 1:14.121 26 laps
Day 2
1. Massa Ferrari 1:11.722 124 laps
2. Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1:12.056 96 laps
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:12.256 108 laps
4. Kubica Renault 1:12.426 119 laps
5. Rosberg Mercedes GP 1:12.899 119 laps
6. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:13.377 102 laps
7. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:13.823 107 laps
Day 1
01. F Massa Ferrari 1:12.574 102 laps
02. P de las Rosa BMW Sauber 1:12.784 74 laps
03. M Schumacher Mercedes GP 1:12.947 40 laps
04. N Rosberg Mercedes GP 1:13.543 39 laps
05. G Paffett McLaren-Mercedes 1:13.846 86 laps
06. R Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:14.449 75 laps
07. S Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:14.762 18 laps
08. R Kubica Renault 1:15.000 69 laps
