Jerez Day 1: Zonta 6th and Panis 8th.


By Luke Marc Carlile-Stanton
October 11 2006

Out going Toyota test drivers, Ricardo Zonta and Olivier Panis finished 6th and 8th respectively as Toyota along with BMW-Sauber joined Ferrari, Williams and Mclaren on track for Day 2 of the final Jerez test before the 2006 season finale in Brazil.

Toyota concentrated mainly on tire testing today and Zonta set a fastest time of 1.17.988 and Oliver a 1.19.4342 in their last tests before Olivier goes into retirement and Ricardo joins Renault at the end of the season.

 

Meanwhile, he may have lost his grip on the 2006 World title but 7 times World Champion Michael Schumacher finished top of time sheets as he joined Ferrari’s test driver Luca Badoer at Jerez. Schumacher says he is concentrating on helping the Scuderia wrap up the constructors title before he goes off into retirement at the end of the season.  Schumacher’s best time a 1.16.238.

 

 Toyota are 1 point behind BMW-Sauber, who are 5th in the constructors championship with 1 race to go, and the Swiss based team had 1 driver on track today with Robert Kubica finishing the day in third place with a time of 1.17.575. The ‘shoot out’ for the second 2007 Mclaren race seat alongside World Champion Fernando Alonso continued today with Pedro De La Rosa beating 2006 GP2 Champion and race seat rival Lewis Hamilton to 4th place. De La Rosa’s time a 1.17.788 to Hamilton’s 1.17.818. Considering it was Hamilton’s second F1 test he was impressive and the Briton is expected to get the seat.

 

Williams continued their tests with Toyota power as they will switch to Toyota engines for 2007. 2007 race driver and current tester Alex Wurz finished 7th for the team whilst the teams second test driver Narian Karthikeyan broght up the field of. Wurz’s time a 1.19.072 and Karthikeyan’s a 1.20.474.

 

 Testing Times, Jerez Spain. 11th October 2006.

1 M. Schumacher (D) Ferrari 01:16.238 117
2 L. Badoer (ITA) Ferrari 01:17.311 92
3 R. Kubica (POL) BMW-Sauber 01:17.575 120
4 P. de la Rosa (ESP) McLaren-Mercedes 01:17.788 80
5 L. Hamilton (GBR) McLaren-Mercedes 01:17.818 62
6 R. Zonta (BRA) Toyota 01:17.988 111
7 A. Wurz (AUT) Williams-Toyota 01:19.072 90
8 O. Panis (FRA) Toyota 01:19.342 95
9 N. Karthikeyan (IND) Williams-Toyota 01:20.474 87