Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Paul Ricard Test - Day 1

Wednesday 14 May 2008
Location: Paul Ricard High Technology Test Track
Track length: 3.593kms

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
Panasonic Toyota Racing started a three-day test programme in the south of France in preparation for the forthcoming Grands Prix in Monte Carlo and Montreal. Monaco and Canada place very different demands on car set-up, with the streets of the Principality requiring good traction allied to a high-downforce aerodynamic package. The variable circuit configurations at Paul Ricard mean that teams can conduct meaningful testing for both venues. Today the emphasis was on Monaco with Timo Glock at the wheel trying out different set-ups and aerodynamic configurations, as well as getting to grips with the Monaco-specification Bridgestone Potenza tyres.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes kicked off a three day test at the Paul Ricard High Technology Test Track this morning. Lewis is at the wheel of the sole MP4-23 today and his plan focused on the team’s preparations for the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix. Work included set-up development, Bridgestone Potenza tyre testing and evaluation of the Monaco-specific aero package.

Timo Glock
"The morning session was reasonable and then in the afternoon the track conditions improved quite a lot. It was a normal test day making Monaco preparations with the only problem being some big changes we made over the lunch break which took a bit longer than expected and cost us some track time. It was the first time I have run the car in such high-downforce configuration. I was quite happy with it but we still need to work a little to improve the traction. Overall though, the car felt pretty good."

Lewis Hamilton Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 1m05.600 84
Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m06.098 103
Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1m06.177 124
Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1m06.348 93
Sebastian Vettel Toro Rosso 1m06.372 91
Nico Rosberg Williams 1m06.571 154
Alex Wurz Honda Racing 1m06.681 131
Timo Glock Toyota 1m06.935 93
Tonio Liuzzi Force India 1m07.346 106
Luca di Grassi Renault 1m07.430 146

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