Formula 1
De la Rosa top at Barcelona
Thursday at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya saw 13 drivers from seven teams on track and Pedro de la Rosa topped the times with a 1:14.543. The Spaniard was the sole McLaren driver on duty and concluded the team's three-day test with work on ...
Edited: Feb 18, 2005, 1:02 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Thursday at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya saw 13 drivers from seven teams on track and Pedro de la Rosa topped the times with a 1:14.543. The Spaniard was the sole McLaren driver on duty and concluded the team's three-day test with work on calibrating the car for the Australian Grand Prix.
"Our final test with the MP4-20 before the start of the season in 17 days in Melbourne gave positive results to the entire team," said Mercedes motorsport director Norbert Haug. "Everybody in the team has had a very stressful last four months, and a good result in the first race would be the best reward for all of us."
Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella was second fastest and teammate Fernando Alonso was sixth. The pair each completed a race distance and also worked on tyres. "We completed over 100 laps with both cars, and although there is still much to do before Melbourne, we are now making good progress in our preparations," said chief test engineer Christian Silk.
Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher ended Ferrari's test week in third and fourth respectively. Barrichello concentrated on set up and tyres while Schumacher carried out an endurance run. Both will be back at work on Monday at Valencia.
Christian Klien led the trio of Red Bull cars in fifth, with David Coulthard and Vitantonio Liuzzi in seventh and ninth respectively. The team's three day test included race and qualifying simulations and all three drivers piloted an RB1 chassis. Red Bull reported that the technical package is sound and the engine is reliable and stable.
Nick Heidfeld clocked eighth quickest and team tester Antonio Pizzonia was 10th to conclude Williams' work for the week. Long runs and tyre work were the focus of the team's test. "We did not encounter any major mechanical problems with the car," said technical director Sam Michael.
Ralf Schumacher was the sole Toyota on track, 11th, and Jordan's Narain Karthikeyan and Tiago Monteiro rounded off the times in 12th and 13th respectively. Tyres, set up work and pit stop practice were the order of the day for the two F1 rookies.
"I did 74 laps today and we tried a lot of new things with the car, especially tyre work for Bridgestone," said Karthikeyan. "We also carried out some set-up changes and we are quite happy with the progress we have been making."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Webber to drive Sydney Harbour Bridge
Next article McLaren Barcelona test notes 2005-02-17
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Rubens Barrichello
Which modern Formula 1 driver raced for the most teams?
Formula 1
Formula 1
Which modern Formula 1 driver raced for the most teams?
How ex-F1 racer Rubens Barrichello is still winning races at 52
Formula 1
Formula 1
Emilia Romagna GP
How ex-F1 racer Rubens Barrichello is still winning races at 52
Why illustrious racing dads aren't always an advantage for F1 hopefuls
FIA F3
FIA F3
Why illustrious racing dads aren't always an advantage for F1 hopefuls
More from
Ferrari
Who slept worst last night: Frederic Vasseur
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
6 h
Who slept worst last night: Frederic Vasseur
Fred Vasseur reacts to Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc clash: “It’s a matter of respect”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
11 h
Fred Vasseur reacts to Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc clash: “It’s a matter of respect”
Latest news
Jeff Burton and Dale Jarrett blast Carson Hocevar: "That's not racing"
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Martinsville II
23 min
Jeff Burton and Dale Jarrett blast Carson Hocevar: "That's not racing"
Kimi Antonelli reveals why he won’t take number 1 for the 2027 F1 season
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
54 min
Kimi Antonelli reveals why he won’t take number 1 for the 2027 F1 season
Who slept best last night: Kimi Antonelli
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
2 h
Who slept best last night: Kimi Antonelli
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe