Minardi Monza test notes 2003-09-03

European Minardi Cosworth personnel spent their first day at the Monza test concentrating on aerodynamic development work. The team's test driver, Gimmy Bruni, was at the wheel of the sole European Minardi PS03 present for the two-day session when activities got under way this morning, his main tasks being to assess a new nose configuration and a revised engine cover. A shower mid-morning temporarily halted progress, but the young Roman still managed a best lap of 1 min 25.240 secs in the course of 34 laps of the historic Italian circuit, near Milan.

A fresh Cosworth Racing CR3 engine was installed during the lunch break and regular race driver, Jos Verstappen, then took over driving duties in the afternoon, his assigned programme involving further aerodynamic work plus tyre evaluation for the team's contracted supplier, Bridgestone. Unfortunately, replacement of a damaged floor meant he was able to cover only 25 laps, with his best time being 1 min 24.712 secs. European Minardi continues testing at Monza tomorrow, with Bruni behind the wheel again in the morning and Nicolas Kiesa completing the technical programme in the afternoon.

Gianmaria Bruni:

"This morning's session went well. We tried quite a few different things on the car, and among them, a new design of engine cover. The car was well balanced for our runs, and we ran with a little higher aero load initially in order to allow me to gain confidence with the circuit and the high speeds required at Monza. I think the time I set was not too bad and I hope I did a good job for the team. I will aim to improve further tomorrow, when I will enjoy another half-day's testing in the morning."

Jos Verstappen:

"We had a few problems with the car this afternoon, and my tyre comparison runs were interrupted with a fuel pump problem and then a red flag. At least I have now driven on the track, though, so I have some idea what to expect for the next race."

Andy Tilley, Chief Engineer:

"We discovered a small gearbox problem at the end of the morning session, and this led to a slight delay in the start of Jos's stint. After a couple of runs, he felt something amiss with the car and we found that the floor had been damaged, probably over the kerbs. That necessitated a further delay, while the floor was changed, and as a result, we were not able to complete the full afternoon programme."

Paul Stoddart, Team Principal:

"Following on from a highly successful weekend with the European Minardi F1x2 programme at Thunder at the Rock, it's good to have the team out testing at Monza today and tomorrow. Both Gimmy and Jos provided useful feedback to the team for the upcoming, and very important, Italian Grand Prix."

Gianmaria Bruni
Chassis: PS03/03
Laps/Distance completed:34/200 Km
Fastest lap: 1min 25.240secs

Jos Verstappen
Chassis: PS03/03
Laps/Distance completed: 25/145 Km
Fastest lap: 1min 24.712 secs

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