Toro Rosso Portimao test notes 2009-01-22

Algarve Circuit
4.686 kms

Sebastien Buemi
Chassis: STR3- 04
Best time: no official times recorded
Laps: 2

2 Cars 4 Laps

Heavy rain meant the final day of this test was a complete wash-out. Sebastien did a couple of installation laps in the F1 car in the morning, then in order to evaluate the track conditions again, he later went out for a further two laps in a road car. He may have been quicker in the road car!

"Being confirmed as a race driver for next year doesn't change anything once you're alone at the wheel, but in terms of working with the team, it brings an added sense of confidence, as the engineers and mechanics know they will be working with me all year," commented our Swiss driver after the session. "From a testing point of view, the weather was a problem, with only a bit of time on slick tyres on Wednesday. On Tuesday, there was such a heavy hailstorm that it was even hurting my hands and by the time I got back to the pits, I was just driving on ice and the car was going all over the place! I still have a lot to take on board, in terms of learning all the different procedures on the car, such as how to manage the starts, but everything is going in the right direction."

Scuderia Toro Rosso will resume testing on 10 February at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in southern Spain.

-credit: toro rosso