Barcelona Day 4: Hamilton Makes a Big Impact Before the First GP!

Lewis Hamilton and his MP4/25 have finalized their preparations for the first event of the regular season. The Briton delivered a solid performance on the last day of testing in Barcelona, Spain, this Sunday. He set the fastest time with an impressive race simulation.

A first aerodynamic update of the 2010 car was installed on Saturday, and then Hamilton spent Sunday morning focusing on race simulation work. His best time was 1:20.472, while most of his potential rivals also worked on qualifying simulations. This latest round of testing shows how fierce the competition will be this year, at least in terms of lap pace.

In the afternoon, Hamilton opted for a race simulation with a very long distance covered. He made only two pit stops without any issues to report. More importantly, he was consistently fast and demonstrated that McLaren seems to be in good shape for the first race of the season.

Mark Webber finished the day just 0.024 seconds behind Hamilton on the timesheet, having taken over from his teammate Sebastian Vettel after the lunch break.

Red Bull Racing’s problems on Saturday forced the team to change its initial program. Vettel tested the car with little fuel in the morning to set what would ultimately be the fifth fastest time of the day. Webber undertook a varied program in the afternoon with two qualifying simulations but also longer runs, which finalized his team’s preparations for the season.

Felipe Massa finished the day in third place, 0.067 seconds off Hamilton’s fastest lap. He also spent the day working on qualifying exercises and then on race exercises in the afternoon.

His race distance pace is not on the same level as Hamilton’s since it was divided into four distinct stints. Nonetheless, Ferrari is satisfied with the winter program of its F10. Many in the paddocks claim that the Scuderia is one of the favorites for the start of the season.

Force India made real progress with its new car as Adrian Sutil clocked the fourth-fastest time during an afternoon dedicated to a qualifying simulation. Although track conditions were slightly better in the afternoon after wind and dust in the morning, this solid day was encouraging for the German.

Behind Sebastian Vettel, Michael Schumacher set the sixth fastest time, just 0.273 seconds behind the 2008 champion. He also conducted a race simulation in the afternoon: “The four days of testing in Barcelona have helped us make significant progress on the MGP W01, and I feel very confident for the start of the season,” said Schumacher.

« It is always difficult to assert things based on tests, but knowing our program, it is possible to say that the times do not always reflect reality. The whole team worked on numerous development assessments. We obtained valuable information before heading to Bahrain. »

We are heading into the first race of the 2010 season with a good feeling and we know we will have an update there. But above all, we know that our prospects for the first races look very promising.

Rubens Barrichello (Williams) finished the day in seventh position after carrying out some qualifying simulations in the afternoon. The day was marked by incidents as the driver ran into the gravel in the morning and then had to stop on the track later in the afternoon.

Kamui Kobayashi is eighth at the wheel of his Sauber. He spent his day evaluating his C29 over short distances. Sébastien Buemi also played with the setup of his single-seater. After a few mechanical adjustments, he finished in ninth place.

Robert Kubica had his first experience with updates with his new team Renault. However, he is only tenth for the conclusion of these Barcelona tests. He focused on a race simulation and never bothered to do a qualifying lap when the track was at its best.

The two new teams once again finish at the bottom of the timesheet. Nevertheless, reliability seems encouraging. Heikki Kovalainen is eleventh for Lotus with a lap of 1:25.251, while Lucas di Grassi finishes twelfth with Virgin in 1:26.160.

« It was a game within the game, as they say. We had a good day and we were able to accomplish all our plans. A problem with the gearbox change delayed us in the afternoon. Therefore, we were not able to drive as much as we wanted, » said Lotus technical director, Mike Gascoyne.

« However, overall, these tests have been extremely productive. We had very good reliability and the team is ready for its first race. Considering the time spent on the project, it is a remarkable effort by the entire team. Everyone worked very hard during both tests. We now have to work on the car’s pace. I remain very proud of the team. »

Result Private Tests Barcelona – Day 4 – Sunday, February 28, 2010: