Toro Rosso Portimao test notes 2009-01-19

Algarve Circuit ­ 4.686 kms

Sebastien Buemi
Chassis: STR3- 04
Best time: 1:41.528
Laps: 65

Scuderia Toro Rosso's first test of 2009 kicked off today at the Algarve circuit in southern Portugal, the team making its first ever visit to this new track. For Sebastien Buemi, this was something of a special day, as it was the first time he has driven since he was confirmed as one of our race drivers for the coming season.

Unfortunately, the weather did not help and the car spent the entire day shod with extreme rain tyres, as the track was damp first thing in the morning from overnight rain, which then made another appearance after a couple of hours running.

The original programme should have focused on validating the 2009 engine specification, checking the car's cooling configuration and general reliability, but the weather got in the way.

Not wishing to waste any opportunities, the team switched to working on electronics, as well as giving our F1 rookie driver the chance to try some practice race starts on a wet track.

Toro Rosso continues running here until Thursday, with Sebastien driving every day.

-credit: toro