Jerez Testing – Day 2: Drivers’ Statements

Lotus

Romain Grosjean (1:18.218, 95 laps): « It was a good day. We accomplished the planned program and showed reliability. As for me, the tests went well, which bodes well for the year ahead. My feeling in the car is good and it’s a pleasure to finish at the top of the timesheets. Even if it doesn’t mean much during testing, it’s always good to be in front. We used soft, medium, and hard tires and even if we are not at 100% with each, we have a good idea. Kimi [Räikkönen] will work on this area over the next two days, so we will have a better understanding when arriving in Barcelona. It is not yet easy to fully understand the car and the tires, but I think we have worked quite well and it’s up to us to find the best solutions. »

Force India

Paul di Resta (1:19.003, 95 laps): « I managed to complete 95 laps today, which was a great achievement, and we executed the planned program without any issues. We did some interesting aerodynamic work again this morning and tested various settings on the car as well. These tests are a real opportunity to make more significant changes than during a race weekend, and it truly allows us to see how it affects the car and provides us with valuable data on tire performance. The car’s behavior is good at the moment, and I feel comfortable after two days in the car. »

James Rossiter (1:21.273, 19 laps): « It’s nice to be back in a Formula 1 car and I was impressed by the performance. It’s only the second day of running, but the car already feels very well balanced and has a lot of potential. Having already done work in the team’s simulator, it’s great to have real sensations from the car and I was able to acclimatize to the car today so that I can get the most out of my running tomorrow morning. »

Toro Rosso

Daniel Ricciardo (1:19.502, 83 laps): A few more laps today and a slightly clearer picture of what the STR8 is. We completed our program, with short runs this morning and longer ones in the afternoon. We also tried the medium Pirelli tires, having only used the hard ones yesterday, so for this circuit at least, we were able to establish a good comparison of the two compounds. We also tested several elements, and I think we can be satisfied with today’s work which produced interesting data.

Red Bull

Mark Webber (1:19.338, 101 laps): « It was a good day for the team in terms of work and our preparation. It was important to make the most of the conditions and that’s what we did: we more or less completed our program and gathered all the information we needed.

This morning’s program was ambitious but we carried it out quite well. Our long stints also went well, giving us more confidence in the car’s components. In the end, I was surprised by the number of kilometers we covered [101 laps, editor’s note], it’s quite good.

We obviously learned more things than yesterday and we will learn more tomorrow when Sebastian [Vettel] takes over. I am very happy with the last few days and with myself. The car gives me confidence to attack and we can definitely build on that in terms of development.

Clean

Nico Hülkenberg (1:19.502, 99 laps): « For the second consecutive day, we had success. We tested a lot of elements and made a comparison between the tires – soft, medium, and hard – which was very interesting. I was also able to continue my adaptation to the car and did long stints. Like yesterday, it was a positive day. »

Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton (1:19.519, 15 laps): « We had a failure on one of the brake lines, so when I pressed the brakes, they didn’t work, and I went straight ahead. It was quite a big shock, but it wasn’t as hard as what I’ve experienced in the past. I’m just glad that nothing happened to me and that it happened now rather than during the season. I only did fourteen laps, and six of them were installation laps, but I did a stint with the new tires, had very good sensations with the car, and was able to give the team quite a bit of feedback, even though I didn’t drive much. »

« I have a good understanding of the car’s basics and, although we still have work to do in certain areas, it was good to have a few laps to identify these areas. I told the guys we just need to keep pushing, and I know that’s what they’re going to do. »

McLaren

**Sergio Pérez (1:19.572, 81 laps):** « It was a great day. As soon as I left the garage and did my first laps, I knew that this car had good potential. The feeling was immediately good and you can definitely sense the car’s potential. We don’t know how competitive we are but all I can say is that the car is behaving well. We managed to carry out some good programs so let’s hope we can do the same over the next five test days [until Melbourne, Editor’s note] and that I’ll be in good shape, ready for the start of the season.

There has been a lot of work in the simulator, a lot of preparation for this day. This is what we expect: getting in the car, starting to work with the engineers, doing the debriefing, and starting to spend hours trying to improve. The day has finally arrived, and I am very happy.

It’s much more than just sitting in a new seat. It’s so different that you have to adapt to a different position, to another way of holding the steering wheel: almost everything is different. It’s like starting over from scratch. I am happier than I expected. I still have a few things to resolve to be a bit more comfortable, even though we had an incredible day.

Ferrari

Felipe Massa (1:19.914, 78 laps): Today, we focused 100% on aerodynamics and exhausts. This morning, I didn’t even do a fast lap because we used track time to do constant speed runs and analyze several aerodynamic solutions. All the changes made to the car took longer than expected, but in the afternoon, I managed to do three long runs which were very important to understand in which direction we will need to go in the coming days.

Williams

**Pastor Maldonado (1:20.693, 71 laps):** « We ran well this afternoon, completing our testing program, but there is still a lot to do to better understand the tires. We have a lot of data to study since yesterday and there is a good atmosphere within the team. I know Andrew, my race engineer, very well because he was my performance engineer over the past two years, so it feels very natural to continue working together. »

Caterham

Giedo van der Garde (1:21.311, 88 laps): Another solid day on track and with 88 laps completed, we can be satisfied with what we’ve achieved today. For the second day of running, we didn’t encounter major problems and completed the planned program on track and at the factory with plenty of data to study.

This morning, we conducted several aerodynamic tests and then tested several settings on different types of tires. I think we found a good direction in our last stint of the afternoon, so now the team will be able to continue making progress over the next two days.

The other important thing for me is that I feel increasingly comfortable in the car. The time I was able to spend on track with the team last year is obviously a great help, and it means that I arrived for these tests already knowing the team, and having been able to complete more than 150 laps in my first two days of testing is very positive.

Marussia

Luiz Razia (1:23.537, 31 laps): « It has been a very busy but also very happy day for me. First, there was the announcement of my appointment with the team and then I immediately got in the car for my first test day. It’s not the first time I’ve worked with the team, but there was a lot to absorb and I had to find my rhythm very quickly. I’m thrilled with how things went for me, so it’s a shame not to have been able to drive this afternoon. We had an engine problem, but we used it to do the KERS-related checks and then we couldn’t get the car running again before the red flag. Overall, I think we have good reasons to be positive because the guys are working very hard. I’m looking forward to being back in the car on Friday, but for today, I’m going to savor it because I’ve worked hard and waited for this moment for a long time. »