TEST REPORT - PAUL RICARD - DAY ONE
Date: Wednesday 5th April 2006
Location: Paul Ricard HTTT, Le Castellet, France
Drivers: Pedro de la Rosa and Gary Paffett
Weather: Sunny and clear
Track temperature – high of 34.1 degrees Celsius
Air temperature – high of 19.2 degrees Celsius
Laps run: 188
Kilometres covered: Pedro de la Rosa approx. 395km
Gary Paffett approx. 320km
Best lap time of the day: Heikki Kovalainen, Renault, 1m04.927
Duration of test: Three days (5th – 7th April)
Testing recommenced for Team McLaren Mercedes at the Paul
Ricard High Tech Test Track today. Pedro de la Rosa and Gary
Paffett will be present for the three day test in the south
of France, driving an MP4-21 and interim MP4-20 respectively.
The track was in the 3E-SC (Short) configuration, which is
3.8km in length.
Pedro's schedule for the week includes work on the front
suspension and dampers, with more of a focus towards the end
of the session on Michelin tyre work. Gary is continuing his
Michelin selection and development programme, with work focused
on the San Marino Grand Prix.
During the eight hour session, Pedro completed over 395km
as he put in 104 laps of the French circuit. The Spaniard's
fastest time of the day, a 1m05.028, put him in second position
on the timesheets. Pedro conducted the majority of his running
during the afternoon, as a fuel pressure problem required
the team to complete repairs in the morning.
Meanwhile Gary covered 84 laps, equating to 320km in the
interim MP4-20. A time of 1m05.534 saw him finish the day
in fifth place. Gary had an engine failure on his interim
car at the end of the session, however due to the timing,
he had already completed his programme for the day. The V10
in Gary's car had already covered over 1200km.
The Team McLaren Mercedes test team will continue running
at the Paul Richard HTTT tomorrow.
Unofficial times*:
Pos Driver Constructor Time Laps
1 Heikki Kovalainen Renault 1m04.927 137
2 Pedro de la Rosa Team McLaren Mercedes 1m05.028 104
3 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1m05.075 150
4 Ricardo Zonta Toyota 1m05.291 142
5 Gary Paffett Team McLaren Mercedes 1m05.534 84
6 Olivier Panis Toyota 1m05.754 109
7 Jacques Villeneuve BMW Sauber 1m05.812 93
8 Robert Doornbos Red Bull Racing 1m06.420 56
*no official times available
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