BARCELONA 17 APRIL 2008
END OF TEST REPORT
The Honda Racing F1 Team returned to the test track this
week following the first three races of the 2008 Formula One
season.
With the majority of teams in action at the Circuit de Catalunya
in Barcelona, this week's four-day test has allowed Honda
to prepare for the next race on the calendar, the Spanish
Grand Prix, which takes place next weekend. The team's Test
and Reserve Driver Alex Wurz began the programme on Monday,
with Rubens Barrichello taking over the RA108 for Tuesday
and Wednesday, and Jenson Button concluding the running on
Thursday.
Alex's focus on Monday was a Bridgestone 'slick' tyre evaluation
as development work continues to prepare for their return
in 2009. He also completed some valuable set-up work with
the current RA108 car, covering 75 laps over the day.
Tuesday saw Rubens Barrichello at the wheel of the RA108
with the programme focused on the evaluation of development
parts, along with further running of the 2009 tyres. Rubens
completed 79 laps, setting the overall fastest time of the
day whilst running on slicks towards the end of the afternoon.
Rubens was in action again on Wednesday and spent the morning
continuing the aerodynamic and set-up evaluations, followed
by a further programme using the slick tyres. With the full
test programme successfully completed, Rubens' final lap tally
was an impressive 140 laps around the demanding Barcelona
circuit.
Jenson joined the team on Thursday for the final day of the
test. Unfortunately the day was continuously interrupted by
heavy rain showers which drenched the track, restricting Jenson
to a single installation lap in the morning and only limited
running on wet tyres for a further 41 laps in the afternoon.
Rubens Barrichello
"We had a very busy and successful test this week. On
Wednesday, I had a good day evaluating the slick tyres and
we were able to make some improvements to our set-up. It was
nice to finish at the top of the timesheet, although it does
not have too great a significance when only half of the field
were running slicks. We ran our new aero upgrade for the first
time and I'm encouraged by the performance. I felt a definite
improvement, although the windy conditions made it difficult
to quantify how much. We covered some good mileage and a lot
of test items, particularly on Thursday when I completed 140
laps. Overall I have good reason to be positive for the Spanish
Grand Prix and I hope that we can get into the points there."
Jenson Button
"It's unfortunate that my day in the car this week coincided
with the bad weather that we have experienced today. I was
only able to complete 42 laps, mostly on wet tyres, and could
not really gather any information from those laps. Thankfully
the team had three good days of testing earlier in the week
so we are well prepared for the race weekend."
Alex Wurz
"It was good to be back in the car after closely following
the progress that the team has made over the first three races
of the season. My day was focused on set-up work with the
2008 car and running the slick tyres to evaluate the basic
set-up and design requirements. In addition we continued our
ongoing work on engine driveability with the new electronics
system."
Steve Clark
"This week saw the first in-season test of 2008 where
we can only use a single car compared to the two car pre-season
tests. The development of the RA108 is progressing well and
we had many items on the test agenda. Our major development
is an aerodynamic update kit which successfully delivered
a laptime improvement, however we will not know until the
Spanish Grand Prix whether this translates into a significant
step forward versus our competitors. In addition to developing
the current car, we have been working with Bridgestone on
the 2009 tyres. Running here in warmer conditions, we had
no issues with warming the tyres up without blankets, and
it is a pleasure to run a racing car on slicks again. We are
looking forward to the challenge of running the cars next
year without tyre warmers and reduced downforce. It should
be interesting."
TEST STATS (All timings are unofficial)
Drivers Tuesday 14 April Wednesday 15 April
Thursday 16 April Friday 17 April
Rubens Barrichello - 79 laps 01:18.928
140 laps 01:19.920 -
Jenson Button - -
- 42 laps 01:24.873
Alex Wurz 75 laps 01:21.059 -
- -
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