The BMW WilliamsF1 team
completed their four day
Barcelona test with Ralf Schumacher and Marc Gené working through an extensive test programme.
With the team facing a seven week test ban the team had to maximise the days
testing.
Both drivers spent their day working on setups for FW25 perfectly in
preparation for the races at Silverstone and
Hockenheim. Both drivers were out on the track early in the day with Ralf
setting his fastest time, a lap of 1m:18.412, early in the day. This would
see him finish the day in third, completing fifty nine laps.
For Marc he would spend nine
hours testing, completing seventy five laps. His best time would be a lap of
1m:19.416. Marc would cover more than the distance of ten GP's in his four
days of testing. Given the nature of their testing fast times were not an
objective.
Both drivers would further test
new tyre compounds for Michelin as well as setup work for the FW25 chassis,
in particular work on the car’s front axle. Also modified aerodynamic parts
were tested.
Also testing, but with no times available, was Olivier Beretta who carried
out tyre testing for Michelin in Ladoux.
 Sam Michael, Chief Operations Engineer, WilliamsF1,
commented on the four day test by saying: "We ran a split test this week at Barcelona and Ladoux. With the
implementation of the test ban on Monday, it was the last opportunity for
all of the teams to test for almost 2 months so we all had fairly busy
schedules to complete. In total, we managed to cover over 4000kms securing
invaluable information for the forthcoming races. For the majority of both
tests, we were lucky enough to have hot weather with ambient temperatures
averaging 33°C and track temperatures above 50°C each day.
Marc Gené and Marko Asmer started off the test in Barcelona with a day of
aero and suspension measurements. Marc did a fantastic job for us,
particularly if you consider how many miles he covered this week. Marko
Asmer also proved himself to be a keen and competent worker in the car
providing us with some great feedback.
Ralf joined Marc for the remainder of the test in Barcelona and recorded a
significant number of laps whilst working through his schedule. Both drivers
concentrated on tyre evaluations with Michelin, mechanical setup work,
software development work as well as completing race simulations and
endurance running for the engine.
In Ladoux, Olivier Beretta concentrated on a tyre programme for Michelin.
Tyre testing is such an important element to our test programme, clearly
demonstrated by the advantage that Michelin has demonstrated in recent
Grands Prix, and the work we did on the last day confirmed our tyre choices
for the upcoming Grand Prix at Silverstone. The team tested and verified a
couple of key changes that we made to the cars a few races ago so we’re
encouraged by that. Several innovative development directions also arose
during the week which we are looking to incorporate in the next few races,
so we should be fairly well prepared for the rest of the European rounds.
The time and effort put in behind the scenes between races by everyone on
the test team is a crucial element of our racing programme. Combined with
the efforts made by our technical suppliers, we can hopefully maintain our
current performance level and secure some more Championship points." |
