Testing round up

Round up of the teams ahead of the Japanese Grand prix

SCUDERIA FERRARI MARLBORO: TEST DRIVERS AT WORK (1st - 205 points in Constructors' standings)

The team's regular race drivers are on holiday, so the two test drivers have been hard at work this week. Luca Badoer was in Mugello from Tuesday to Thursday and will be at Fiorano today (Friday) and tomorrow. Meanwhile Luciano Burti has been running for three days in an F2001 at Jerez concentrating on tyre evaluation. When testing resumes, Ferrari is planning to run at Jerez, Barcelona and Mugello, with the emphasis on tyres. Ferrari will use the same cars in Japan as at Indianapolis; 222 for Michael, 223 for Barrichello and 219 as the spare. The spare monocoque (224) which was used in Indianapolis, will revert to its original role. Ferrari is hoping to win in Suzuka as a thank-you to its tyre supplier Bridgestone.

BMW WILLIAMSF1 TEAM: TESTING IN SPAIN (2nd - 89 points)

The BMW Williams squad began a four day test at Barcelona on Wednesday in predominantly dry conditions, but with the occasional drizzle. Marc Gene finished the first day third fastest on 1m18.797s with Antonio Pizzonia next up on 1m18.803s. Gene concentrated on putting more miles on the new type P83 BMW engine while Pizzonia focused on "general set-up for systems and components." On Thursday Pizzonia headed the times on 1m16.960s while Gene did a 1m 17.789s. Speaking about the new engine, Dr Mario Theissen commented; "We are well ahead in our schedule compared with last year."

WEST McLAREN MERCEDES: DEVELOPMENT WORK (3rd - 61 points)

Alexander Wurz and David Coulthard were at Barcelona on Wednesday, assessing chassis modifications on the interim McLaren-Mercedes MP4/17B development car. Wurz posted fastest time on 1m16.352s with Coulthard second on 1m18.453s. Setup work and tyre development for Suzuka was also tackled. On Thursday the two McLarens were second and third fastest on the day, Wurz managing a 1m17.129s and Coulthard a 1m17.143s.

MILD SEVEN RENAULT F1 TEAM: GAVIN AT SILVERSTONE (4th - 22 points)

Oliver Gavin was recruited to test for the Renault squad at Silverstone this week, the British driver carrying out work on general long-term future developments. These included electronics systems, damper development and suspension modifications. During Thursday he also carried out a tyre evaluation programme for Suzuka on behalf of Michelin.Commented technical director Mike Gascoyne; "In spire of several engine problems during the week, Oliver did a very good job, driving consistently and collecting useful information for the last race of the season and beyond. I think he thoroughly enjoyed his test."

SAUBER PETRONAS:THREE DAYS AT MUGELLO (5th - 11 points)

The Sauber-Petronas squad started a three day test at Mugello on Tuesday with Felipe Massa reacquainting himself with the C21 in preparation for Suzuka after missing the United States Grand Prix. Massa covered 72 laps for a best time of 1m25.310s, concentrating on aerodynamic development work. On Wednesday, after a late night for the engineers working on an improved set-up, Massa improved to 1m23.775s after 78 laps, the quickest Sauber time ever recorded at Mugello. On Thursday Heidfeld took over to validate the results from the previous day and managed a 1m24.629s. "The car was stable and well balanced and ran without any problems all day," said Heidfeld. "I am looking forward to Japan next week."

JAGUAR RACING: TESTING AT LOMMEL (6th - 8 points)

The Jaguar F1 team confined itself to aerodynamic straight-line testing at Ford's Lommel test centre in Belgium this week with James Courtenay behind the wheel of an R3. The purpose of the test was to generate aerodynamic data in order to help finalise the design of next year's R4 challenger.

LUCKY STRIKE BAR HONDA: THREE DAYS IN BARCELONA (7th - 7 points)

The BAR team was at Barcelona this week with the main objective of putting more mileage on the latest evolution of the Honda V10 engine in preparation for the Japanese Grand Prix, plus tyre testing, an aerodynamic assessment and a software evaluation. Anthony Davidson completed 74 laps on the first day with a 1m19.718s fastest lap, while on Wednesday Ryo Fukuda drove the car, making his debut at the Spanish circuit. Davidson completed the three day programme on Thursday despite a small mechanical problem causing him to spin into a barrier later in the day. "We have covered plenty of laps, said Davidson, and both the car and engine proved reliable. A mechanical glitch caused me to spin off and hit the barrier, but I'm fine. I now have a weekend to relax before flying to Japan."

DHL JORDAN HONDA: SATO AT SILVERSTONE (8th - 7 points)

Takuma Sato began a two day Jordan test at Silverstone on Wednesday, the Japanese driver's EJ-12 running reliably all day in cool and overcast conditions and much work was carried out on Suzuka set-up. His best was a 1m22.50s.

KL MINARDI ASIATECH: LOOKING TO THE FUTURE (9th - 2 points)

For the first time in 286 Grands Prix, Giancarlo Minardi did not attend the United States Grand Prix. Instead, he went to Misano to watch a Formule Renault race, looking for young talent. He is also working on a project with a new sponsor while the factory is working flat-out on the 2003 car.

PANASONIC TOYOTA RACING: MORE TESTS FOR INTERIM CAR (10th - 2 points)

While the race team was flying back from the USA, Stephane Sarrazin and Ryan Briscoe started a three day test at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya on Tuesday. Briscoe completed data acquisition programmes on a standard TF102, posting a best time of 1m22.008s, while Sarrazin drove the revised TF102B fitted with the new 2003 Toyota engine and seven-speed transmission, posting a 1m20.784s. On Wednesday Briscoe managed a 1m20.224s while Sarrazin encountered a few problems and only did 20 laps for a 1m20.840s best. On Thursday Sarrazin managed a 1m18.43s. "I am extremely happy with the progress we made today," he said. Briscoe did a 1m18.71s best working on aerodynamic developments and tyre choice for the Japanese Grand Prix.

ORANGE ARROWS (11th - 2 points)

No further news about the team's future plans currently available.

-fia-