Motorsports

MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS F1: Barcelona Test Day 1

Words Jim Davis | February 21, 2012
The MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS F1 W03 made its official debut today at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona
Words Jim Davis February 21, 2012

The MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS F1 W03 made its official debut today at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. After an early morning unveiling in the pit lane by Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg, Michael then took the wheel for the day’s running.

  • A smooth morning session enabled the team to begin set-up comparisons with the new chassis
  • A hydraulic problem identified during the afternoon session brought an early end to the planned program
  • Michael completed 51 laps today, taking the F1 W03’s total mileage to 782 km to date

Nico will take over the program tomorrow, with Michael back in the car on Thursday, and Nico concluding the test on Friday.

Michael Schumacher “My initial feelings with our new car are certainly good. I’m happy with the different evaluations that we have done over the last week, but obviously with the rule changes, we won’t know more until later. It’s certainly an improvement and we have worked hard on the areas we had defined last year. The aerodynamics figures look good so I’m not worried about the shape of the nose! Even though we had the hydraulic problem today, I’m pleased with all the mileage we have achieved so far with the new car.”

Date: Tuesday 21 February 2012 Track: Circuit de Catalunya Driver: Michael Schumacher

No of Laps 51 laps
Best Lap Time 1:24.150
Kms Covered 237 kms
Track Length 4.655 km
F1 W03 Mileage 782 km
Weather Sunny but cold

TIMES

Pos Driver Car Time Laps
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:23.265 79
2. Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:23.440 97
3. Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1:23.590 114
4. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:23.618 76
5. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:24.100 75
6. Michael Schumacher MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS 1:24.150 51
7. Sergio Perez Sauber 1:24.219 66
8. Bruno Senna Williams 1:25.711 97
9. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham 1:26.035 31
10. Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:26.809 7
11. Charles Pic Marussia 1:28.026 121