New week and new tests for F1 teams

Three new teams will use new single-seaters this week in preparation for the Valencia tests following those in Jerez last week.

The Renault R28, driven by former world champion Fernando Alonso, will make its debut today alongside the new Williams FW30, which is still equipped with Toyota engines.

Renault will continue its testing sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, while most of the other teams will be present on the Spanish circuit from Tuesday to Thursday.

Later this week, it will be the Honda RA108, the single-seater from the 2008 season, that will attract all the attention, in interim colors.

Some sources claim that Super-Aguri will be the only team absent from these tests due to the issues encountered by the Japanese team in Jerez last week.

Spanish media report a figure of 5,000 spectators for these four days of testing, especially since Tuesday is a public holiday in the region.

Peter Sauber, founder and consultant for the BMW-Sauber team, said that the Valencia tests will provide the first clues regarding the hierarchy for 2008.

« But there will still be many question marks, even if we analyze the performance of our opponents very carefully, » added the Swiss in his column for the newspaper Blick.

We will not know what the other teams are doing. Especially for the big teams that use a bunch of new aerodynamic parts whose initial effects will only be visible just before the start of the season.