2008 SPANISH GRAND PRIX
BARCELONA - FREE PRACTICE
The Honda Racing F1 Team returned to the racetrack this weekend
as the Formula One calendar moved to Spain for the start of
the European season. Race drivers Jenson Button and Rubens
Barrichello completed 95 laps in today's two 1.5-hour practice
sessions, continuing the work begun during last week's four-day
test here where the team introduced a significant aerodynamic
upgrade to the RA108.
In session one the drivers completed only limited running
while they waited for the track temperatures to rise and rubber
to go down. Jenson completed 16 laps in the latter stages
of the session to post the 10th fastest lap, while Rubens
was 18th fastest after competing 14 laps.
With improved track conditions in session two, the drivers
set to work. Jenson completed 34 laps during the course of
a programme of race set-up work to end the day in 15th place,
while Rubens completed 31 laps to be 17th, just 0.2s behind
his team-mate.
RESULTS
Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Free Practice 1 Free Practice
2
Jenson Button 16 RA108-02 16 laps 01:22.632 P10 34 laps 01:23.263
P15
Rubens Barrichello 17 RA108-04 14 laps 01:23.353 P18 31 laps
01:23.415 P17
Weather Warm and sunny
Temperatures Air: 18-25°C Track: 22-39°C
JENSON BUTTON
Q. Tell us about the focus of your programme for
today?
A. "Today was really important as I didn't get any testing
mileage last week due to the bad weather we had here on the
final day, so it was good to get some laps in with the new
developments on the car. We haven't found the best set-up
yet as I was struggling with the balance today, but I'm confident
that we will find the improvements tomorrow."
Q. What are your expectations for the weekend ahead?
A. "After the test last week, our expectations were to
be challenging for a place in the final part of qualifying
and the top ten. We achieved this in Bahrain and given the
improvements made to the car I hope we have taken enough of
a step forward to do this again."
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
Q. What have been the main set-up challenges during
today's running?
A. "We've had a tough day today and the main challenge
has been to get the car working in the same way that it did
at the test last week. The balance and feel of the car was
completely different today, so we had to really work around
the set-up trying to rediscover the feeling we had from the
test."
Q. How can the team continue to move forward in preparation
for qualifying and the race?
A. "We have a lot of work to do tonight in terms of studying
the data to understand where the issues lie. I felt very confident
after the test, and although there is an improvement in the
car here, we still have work to do to achieve our expectations
of progressing to the third session of qualifying. It's going
to be difficult but not impossible."
STEVE CLARK
Head of Race & Test Engineering
Q. How is the new upgrade package translating from
test to racetrack?
A. "We tested the new package here last week and have
incorporated elements of this into our race weekend specification.
The track conditions are completely different today compared
to the end of the test and our task for the remainder of the
weekend is to tune the car to find a good balance for qualifying
and the race. The only real indication of the step forward
that we have made will be in qualifying tomorrow when we will
know whether we have moved forward in relation to our competitors."
Q. What will be the main challenges for the rest of
the weekend?
A. "As always, the main challenge is getting the best
out of the car for qualifying and the race. We test frequently
here at Barcelona, however track and weather conditions change
and finding a good balance is crucial to achieving the optimum
laptime. We have been making steady progress so far, but with
the field being so tight this year, even getting through the
first qualifying session requires maximum focus. Our target
will be to get both cars into the top ten."
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