F1 Testing at Silverstone
26th June 2008
Testing is an integral part of F1. While locations such as Barcelona, Jerez and Bahrain are glamorous and exotic well used testing venues, in the UK we have the opportunity of seeing testing at Silverstone. Not such an exciting location then (at least to the British), but it's F1 we've come to watch. With over half the F1 teams either based in England or at least having a base here, at least it's home. Indeed, the Force India team have their factory just outside the circuit. Handy for getting spare parts.
All the F1 drivers and test drivers were present at some point during the three day test. So unless you attend all three days you won't see all of them in action. I was there in the Wednesday. The track is open for seven hours, from 9 am to 1 pm, then 2 to 5 pm. Given good weather conditions, then there's usually at least one car out on track at some point during that time.
At a test, if a car spins off into the gravel or the barriers, or just simply breaks down, the teams need to recover the cars immediately. This is unlike the situation during a race weekend where a car is left (in a safe place from the other competitors on track) until after the session or race finishes. This is because they need to get the car back, find out what went wrong, and get the car functioning again as soon a s possible to make the most of the track time. Cars being recovered are covered with a tarpaulin to avoid prying cameras, apparently. Funny that, as you get a pretty good look from watching them drive round!
There were six red flags on the Wednesday, three of which were caused by Mark Webber in the Red Bull. One of those occasions was when the engine stopped at the end of the pit lane. He only completed 39 laps all day. Most other drivers completed over 70 or 80, and Jensen Button completed over 100.
There were no major dramas, and there was only a few spits of rain at 11 am. Though it was windy later on, overall the testing conditions were good. If you've only ever seen F1 on television, then you've little appreciation for the sheer noise and speed of these cars. Seeing the medical and circuit vehicles driving round during a session stoppage really puts the speed into perspective. For example the cars exit Bridge at around 140 mph. The majority of spectators were around Luffield, Bridge and Abbey, and they afford some of the best views in any case. The grandstands at those locations were open too.
The fastest test times of the day were: Kovalainen (1:20.015), Trulli (1:20.391), Rosberg (1:20.624), Piquet (1:20.787), Vettel (1:21.795), Kubica (1:21.982), Massa (1:21.069), Webber (1:21.170), Button (1:21.445), Fisichella (1:21.583).
Sebastian Bourdais for Toro Rosso didn't get track time. Giancarlo Fisichella crashed his Force India in the morning session due to crosswinds upsetting the aerodynamics. He hurt his wrist in the process and was taken to hospital for checks. Jarno Trulli was there for Toyota on Wednesday (replacing Kamui Kobayashi, and being replaced by Timo Glock on Thursday). It's a pity to have missed Raikkonen, Alonso, Hamilton and Coulthard, but then equally it was good to see Kovy, Kubica, Massa and Rosberg.
While all the teams would have been doing set-up work for the Grand Prix, they would also have been trying out different components on the cars and different fuel loads, so it's very difficult to read too much into these figures. At least this year's championship battle is the most open it's been for a long while.
All the F1 drivers and test drivers were present at some point during the three day test. So unless you attend all three days you won't see all of them in action. I was there in the Wednesday. The track is open for seven hours, from 9 am to 1 pm, then 2 to 5 pm. Given good weather conditions, then there's usually at least one car out on track at some point during that time.
At a test, if a car spins off into the gravel or the barriers, or just simply breaks down, the teams need to recover the cars immediately. This is unlike the situation during a race weekend where a car is left (in a safe place from the other competitors on track) until after the session or race finishes. This is because they need to get the car back, find out what went wrong, and get the car functioning again as soon a s possible to make the most of the track time. Cars being recovered are covered with a tarpaulin to avoid prying cameras, apparently. Funny that, as you get a pretty good look from watching them drive round!
There were six red flags on the Wednesday, three of which were caused by Mark Webber in the Red Bull. One of those occasions was when the engine stopped at the end of the pit lane. He only completed 39 laps all day. Most other drivers completed over 70 or 80, and Jensen Button completed over 100.
There were no major dramas, and there was only a few spits of rain at 11 am. Though it was windy later on, overall the testing conditions were good. If you've only ever seen F1 on television, then you've little appreciation for the sheer noise and speed of these cars. Seeing the medical and circuit vehicles driving round during a session stoppage really puts the speed into perspective. For example the cars exit Bridge at around 140 mph. The majority of spectators were around Luffield, Bridge and Abbey, and they afford some of the best views in any case. The grandstands at those locations were open too.
The fastest test times of the day were: Kovalainen (1:20.015), Trulli (1:20.391), Rosberg (1:20.624), Piquet (1:20.787), Vettel (1:21.795), Kubica (1:21.982), Massa (1:21.069), Webber (1:21.170), Button (1:21.445), Fisichella (1:21.583).
Sebastian Bourdais for Toro Rosso didn't get track time. Giancarlo Fisichella crashed his Force India in the morning session due to crosswinds upsetting the aerodynamics. He hurt his wrist in the process and was taken to hospital for checks. Jarno Trulli was there for Toyota on Wednesday (replacing Kamui Kobayashi, and being replaced by Timo Glock on Thursday). It's a pity to have missed Raikkonen, Alonso, Hamilton and Coulthard, but then equally it was good to see Kovy, Kubica, Massa and Rosberg.
While all the teams would have been doing set-up work for the Grand Prix, they would also have been trying out different components on the cars and different fuel loads, so it's very difficult to read too much into these figures. At least this year's championship battle is the most open it's been for a long while.
