Barrichello blitzes Barca timesheets
Rubens Barrichello set a blistering pace on the final day of testing at Barcelona, as the Brawn GP team completed a dream first week of work at the Spanish circuit.
Barrichello, whose team-mate Jenson Button had topped the times yesterday, went even quicker today, finishing with the best time of the week in the BGP-001 machine, which made its public debut only on Monday.
The Brazilian was the only driver who managed to lap the track in less than one minute and 19 seconds, as he finished over eight tenths ahead of Nico Rosberg in the Williams.
The Brawn GP driver also had a busy day, covering over 100 laps.
The unusual order at the top of the times was completed by Toyota's Timo Glock as third quickest and Sebastian Vettel fourth in the Red Bull machine. Fernando Alonso was fifth fastest in the Renault.
Glock was pleased with his day's work after managed well over 100 laps as Toyota continued to look in good form for Melbourne.
"This was another useful day to round off our good winter of testing," Glock said. "We did more work on set-up and long runs and everything went well until the very last lap! Still, overall the car feels strong and we seem to have good pace so we can look forward to Australia.
"Of course we'll only see the real results on Saturday in Melbourne but everyone at Toyota can be happy with our work so far. We've made fine progress so roll on the first race."
Championship favourites Ferrari, BMW-Sauber and McLaren had to settle with the sixth, seventh, and eighth quickest times of the day thanks to Felipe Massa, Robert Kubica and Lewis Hamilton respectively.
World champion Hamilton had another low-key session and finished nearly two seconds off the pace after 69 laps.
With 141 laps covered, Giancarlo Fisichella was the busiest driver in the Force India car.
"It's been a good day with 141 laps," said Fisichella. "We went in the right direction with some set-up work and the car was very reliable so we could really start to work on the balance.
"It's not so bad we just could do with some more aero grip. We didn't do the best lap time when the circuit was at its peak in the morning otherwise we could have improved the time, perhaps a 20.5, but overall I feel comfortable. It's quite encouraging, we now know where we need to improve."
Unofficial Thursday times from Barcelona:
1. Rubens Barrichello, Brawn BGP 001, 1:18.926
2. Nico Rosberg, Williams FW31, 1:19.774
3. Timo Glock, Toyota TF109, 1:20.091
4. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull RB5, 1:20.576
5. Fernando Alonso, Renault R29, 1:20.664
6. Felipe Massa, Ferrari F60, 1:20.677
7. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber F1.09, 1:20.740
8. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren MP4-24, 1:20.869
9. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso STR4, 1:21.013
10. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India VJM02, 1:21.045
11. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso STR4, 1:21.629
Source: autosport.com
Rubens Barrichello set a blistering pace on the final day of testing at Barcelona, as the Brawn GP team completed a dream first week of work at the Spanish circuit.
Barrichello, whose team-mate Jenson Button had topped the times yesterday, went even quicker today, finishing with the best time of the week in the BGP-001 machine, which made its public debut only on Monday.
The Brazilian was the only driver who managed to lap the track in less than one minute and 19 seconds, as he finished over eight tenths ahead of Nico Rosberg in the Williams.
The Brawn GP driver also had a busy day, covering over 100 laps.
The unusual order at the top of the times was completed by Toyota's Timo Glock as third quickest and Sebastian Vettel fourth in the Red Bull machine. Fernando Alonso was fifth fastest in the Renault.
Glock was pleased with his day's work after managed well over 100 laps as Toyota continued to look in good form for Melbourne.
"This was another useful day to round off our good winter of testing," Glock said. "We did more work on set-up and long runs and everything went well until the very last lap! Still, overall the car feels strong and we seem to have good pace so we can look forward to Australia.
"Of course we'll only see the real results on Saturday in Melbourne but everyone at Toyota can be happy with our work so far. We've made fine progress so roll on the first race."
Championship favourites Ferrari, BMW-Sauber and McLaren had to settle with the sixth, seventh, and eighth quickest times of the day thanks to Felipe Massa, Robert Kubica and Lewis Hamilton respectively.
World champion Hamilton had another low-key session and finished nearly two seconds off the pace after 69 laps.
With 141 laps covered, Giancarlo Fisichella was the busiest driver in the Force India car.
"It's been a good day with 141 laps," said Fisichella. "We went in the right direction with some set-up work and the car was very reliable so we could really start to work on the balance.
"It's not so bad we just could do with some more aero grip. We didn't do the best lap time when the circuit was at its peak in the morning otherwise we could have improved the time, perhaps a 20.5, but overall I feel comfortable. It's quite encouraging, we now know where we need to improve."
Unofficial Thursday times from Barcelona:
1. Rubens Barrichello, Brawn BGP 001, 1:18.926
2. Nico Rosberg, Williams FW31, 1:19.774
3. Timo Glock, Toyota TF109, 1:20.091
4. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull RB5, 1:20.576
5. Fernando Alonso, Renault R29, 1:20.664
6. Felipe Massa, Ferrari F60, 1:20.677
7. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber F1.09, 1:20.740
8. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren MP4-24, 1:20.869
9. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso STR4, 1:21.013
10. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India VJM02, 1:21.045
11. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso STR4, 1:21.629
Source: autosport.com
