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STR top and RB improving

The final day of testing at Catalunya Circuit sees bright sunshine and temperatures rising, so we should expect times to fall during the course of the day.

Saturday was good day for Toro Rosso with Sebastian Vettel and Sebastien Bourdais taking the two top spots, the team having opted to investigate the one-lap pace of the STR2B with which they will start the season. Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen followed as the McLaren team put more miles on the MP4-23.

Williams had a less fruitful outing, and decided to abandon the test and return home as they admitted to not having found a suitable solution to the problems that affected the test and led to Kazuki Nakajima leaving the circuit at over 300kmh on the first day. Steering problems had been cited at first, but we now understand that the front wing mounting may be the area in question.

Today – Sunday – as we head towards the lunch break, Mark Webber is currently quickest in the Red Bull RB4, the car sporting the tall rear-end fin that appeared for the first time on Friday. That the Australian has put in 35 laps so far indicates they may be on top of the reliability problems that blighted last season. David Coulthard – also running RB4 – is currently eighth fastest, and only half a second off his team mates time.

Lewis Hamilton and the McLaren MP4-23 continue to show good pace with a best lap a fraction slower that Webber – Kovalainen less than a tenth behind at the moment – while BMW seem to have sorted out the earlier balance problems and continue to shine, with Robert Kubica currently third.

At the back of the field Honda continue to struggle, the RA108 currently out-paced – in the hands of Rubens Barrichello – by the Force India driven by Adrian Sutil.

While testing comes to a close later today in Spain, Ferrari and Toyota are gearing up for the next major run in Bahrain, as Sakhir plays hosts to the World Champions and the Japanese giants for tow three-day tests. The first begins tomorrow (Monday 4th) and the second on Saturday the 9th.

UpdateF1 will bring you further details later on.

Written: Sun, 03 Feb 2008 11:18:44