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As usual, Formula 1 teams are participating in an official test session for young drivers immediately after the grand prix held at Abu Dhabi. This year, GP2 talent Sam Bird took part in the event for MERCEDES GP PETRONAS and was in charge of the Silver Arrow for three days. His best result was achieved in the last day of testing through consistent work and pace: he ranked 2nd in the official standings, falling 2 seconds behind Red Bull's Jean-Eric Vergne.
Check out the full 3-day report after the break!
DAY 1
Two days after the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Formula One’s Young Driver Test began at the Yas Marina Circuit this morning.
GP2 driver Sam Bird is driving for MERCEDES GP PETRONAS at the test and had the first of his three days in the car today.
- The team ran 2011 Pirelli tyres throughout the day whilst working on some development items for 2012
- A transmission issue cost some running time in the morning, however the lost time was recovered in the afternoon session
- Having used the team’s simulator extensively, Sam was quickly up to speed, and showed impressive pace and consistency
- The team plan to start evaluating the 2012 Pirelli tyres tomorrow
Sam Bird
“We did some good work today as the team began on-track preparations for the 2012 season. It’s fantastic to be behind the wheel of a Formula One car again, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself out there. I’m looking forward to the next two days and making a contribution to the team’s work for 2012. Many thanks to MERCEDES GP PETRONAS for giving me this opportunity.”
TIMES
Pos Driver Car Time Laps
1. Jean-Eric Vergne Red Bull 1:40.011 83
2. Jules Bianchi Ferrari 1:40.960 85
3. Robert Wickens Lotus Renault 1:42.217 78
4. Fabio Leimer Sauber 1:42.331 67
5. Gary Paffett McLaren 1:42.912 41
6. Max Chilton Force India 1:43.016 81
7. Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:43.118 71
8. Oliver Turvey McLaren 1:43.502 35
9. Sam Bird MERCEDES GP PETRONAS 1:43.548 53
10. Rodolfo Gonzalez Team Lotus 1:44.022 87
11. Stefano Coletti Toro Rosso 1:45.278 87
12. Dani Clos HRT 1:45.329 68
13. Charles Pic Marussia Virgin 1:46.930 30
14. Adrian Quaife Hobbs Marussia Virgin 1:47.292 32
DAY 2
On the second day of the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi today, Sam Bird continued his work at the wheel of the MGP W02 car.
- The team focused on 2012 Pirelli tyre evaluations throughout the day with short runs in the morning and longer runs this afternoon
- Consistent driving from Sam allowed the team to collect plenty of data, along with his feedback on the feel of the tyres
- Sam and the team will complete the test tomorrow on the third and final day.
Sam Bird
“We made some very good progress with the programme today and were able to achieve all of the goals that we intended. It was interesting to try out the new 2012 Pirelli tyres for the first time, and I enjoyed the experience. Overall it was a very good day for us and I’m looking forward to completing our programme of test items tomorrow.”
TIMES
Pos Driver Car Time Laps
1. Jean-Eric Vergne Red Bull 1:40.188 43
2. Jules Bianchi Ferrari 1:40.279 91
3. Gary Paffett McLaren 1:41.756 71
4. Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:42.367 88
5. Johnny Cecotto Force India 1:42.873 84
6. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:43.637 96
7. Sam Bird MERCEDES GP PETRONAS 1:43.734 94
8. Kevin Korjus Lotus Renault 1:43.776 70
9. Luiz Razia Team Lotus 1:43.944 89
10. Kevin Ceccon Toro Rosso 1:44.808 97
11. Jan Charouz HRT 1:46.644 56
12. Charles Pic Marussia Virgin 1:46.698 61
13. Nathanael Berthon Marussia Virgin 1:48.646 9
DAY 3
The third and final day of the Young Driver Test took place in Abu Dhabi today, with Sam Bird rounding off the test programme for MERCEDES GP PETRONAS at the Yas Marina Circuit.
- The team ran a 2012 exhaust position this morning and collected data to help develop our package for the new regulations
- This afternoon, we returned to a standard car specification and focused on developing the set-up of the car on the soft Pirelli tyre
- The three day programme has been extremely productive and enabled Sam to complete over 1394 kms of running
Sam Bird
“We again had a very good day today and were able to cover a lot of mileage with 104 laps in total. We were focusing on further development work for 2012 which went well and the team are very positive about the results gained. I would like to say thank you to MERCEDES GP PETRONAS for trusting me with the driving responsibilities for this three-day test. It’s been a very positive and enjoyable experience for me, and I’ve greatly enjoyed working with the team.”
Ross Brawn
“We have had a very good test in Abu Dhabi this week, and my compliments to Sam and the team at the Yas Marina Circuit for their efforts over the three days. The test has enabled us to make a good start to our 2012 preparations, and provided a wealth of data for our engineers to study. Sam has performed extremely well this week, providing consistency and accuracy in both his driving and feedback, and our engineers in Abu Dhabi have been very impressed with his contribution.”
TIMES
Pos Driver Car Time Laps
1. Jean-Eric Vergne Red Bull 1:38.917 46
2. Sam Bird MERCEDES GP PETRONAS 1:40.897 104
3. Jules Bianchi Ferrari 1:41.347 106
4. Oliver Turvey McLaren 1:41.513 89
5. Max Chilton Force India 1:41.575 79
6. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:42.049 77
7. Mirko Bortolotti Williams 1:43.277 74
8. Kevin Ceccon Toro Rosso 1:43.686 35
9. Alexander Rossi Team Lotus 1:44.283 74
10. Jan Charouz Lotus Renault 1:44.470 82
11. Stefano Coletti Toro Rosso 1:44.545 48
12. Nathanael Berthon HRT 1:45.839 51
13. Robert Wickens Marussia Virgin 1:45.934 34
14. Charles Pic Marussia Virgin 1:46.348 49
* Official photo and details courtesy of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS *
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
The final race of the 2011 Formula One season, the Brazilian Grand Prix, takes place at the Autodromo José Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo on Sunday 27 November. Located in Interlagos, the historic 4.309 km circuit is the highest of the year at 800m above sea level, and one of only five anti-clockwise tracks on this year’s calendar.
• The Safety Car has been deployed in seven of the last ten races in Interlagos, on a total of 11 occasions.
• Interlagos is the shortest permanent circuit on the calendar with the shortest lap time of any circuit.
• DRS can be used over 59% of the lap in practice and qualifying: only Montreal, Spa and Monza have higher values.
Michael Schumacher
“The final race of the season is approaching fast and I am looking forward to the weekend in Brazil. There is always a really good atmosphere at the Interlagos track and it’s one of the traditional venues for Formula One to end the season. We have enjoyed some good results finishing in the top six over the last few races, and I would love to continue this trend in Brazil and bring the season to a positive end. The team have worked very hard to improve our performance with the car that we have available to us and it would be a fitting reward for them.”
Nico Rosberg
“I’m really looking forward to going to Brazil next week. The Interlagos track is amazing to drive, and in the last weeks we have made some steps forward without having any big updates on the car, so it should be a good weekend. I would love to give the season a nice ending; our engineers, the boys in the garage and everybody at our factories in Brackley and Brixworth deserve a good result at our last race. The stronger qualifying and race pace in Abu Dhabi makes me confident that we can push and try to catch one of the cars from the top three teams at Interlagos. Our Mercedes engine power and the top speed in the car will be good for getting up the hill on the long start-finish straight.”
Ross Brawn, Team Principal
“The Brazilian Grand Prix weekend is always a lively and vibrant event, and Interlagos is a fitting venue for the final race of this year’s Formula One season. Although our focus at the factory has been on 2012 for some time now, at the race track we are continuing to work hard with this year’s car and make improvements. We are determined to end the season on a high and continue the run of top six results that we have enjoyed recently, which is the upper limit of the potential of the current car. Interlagos is a very unique track which presents some unusual challenges; the high altitude location, the bumpy surface and the challenging layout all test both the drivers and engineers.”
Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“Brazil is a great venue for a Formula One season finale: our sport has a proud history in the country, and the atmosphere and dedicated spectators at Interlagos are fantastic. The circuit layout usually delivers exciting and unpredictable races. Interlagos is the second shortest circuit of the year and, coupled with a relatively high average speed, this normally makes for an intense race. The 71 laps around an anti-clockwise layout are challenging for the drivers, and the circuit requires good aerodynamic and mechanical performance in the second sector, and efficient aerodynamics and good engine performance in the first and third sectors. Seven of the last ten Brazilian Grands Prix have featured Safety Car deployments, so we must factor this probability into our strategies - and even more so with the increase in wheel-to-wheel action this year, thanks to DRS and the Pirelli tyres. In Abu Dhabi, we saw for the first time ever six Mercedes-Benz powered cars finish in the top ten - including in first and third places. Good results for MERCEDES GP PETRONAS and our partner teams are our target at the final round of the season.”
* Official photo and details courtesy of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS *
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher made up one place on their grid positions in today’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to finish in sixth and seventh places respectively at the end of the 55-lap race at the Yas Marina Circuit.
• After an entertaining battle between the pair on the first lap, Nico emerged ahead in P6 by the start of lap two
• Nico and Michael both followed a two-stop option/option/prime tyre strategy today
• Nico stopped on laps 17 and 48, with Michael coming into the pits on laps 16 and 42
Nico Rosberg
“It was an interesting race for me today. The start didn’t work out very well as I tried to overtake Felipe but suddenly there was no space left. Michael was able to overtake me, and we had a fun battle before I took the place back. From then, I was able to handle my tyre situation very well. I stayed out a bit longer before the second stop as there was some grip left, and it was better to stay out with the softer tyres. With the prime tyres, I had some understeer which made it impossible to overtake Felipe towards the end. Thanks to my engineering team who did a brilliant job here and I was quite happy with my car all weekend. Our pit stop guys were also great again, and that’s why we achieved a good result today. It makes me look forward to Brazil and hopefully we can achieve another good result there.”
Michael Schumacher
“A reasonable race today and some reasonable points I would say. Considering that we did not manage to find the perfect balance yesterday, we managed to get the maximum out of our situation today. But then, I did lose some small parts of the car which cost us some balance, and towards the end I had a slow puncture, which is why I had to park my car at turn two. The tyres gave up rather early in the first stint but that was due to our tyre strategy yesterday when we wanted to save a fresh set for the race. I therefore had quite used tyres for the start. We now have to look into the data and make sure we are well prepared for the last race of the season which we want to finish as well as possible.”
Ross Brawn
“A very lively first lap between our drivers today which was highly entertaining. We’ve often said that they are free to race as long as they keep it sensible, and it was good to see today. Nico had the stronger pace this evening, and his lap times during the race were quite encouraging. Our performance today reminds us of the little bit that we have to close down to become truly competitive, but it is within reach. Both Nico and Michael drove extremely well, and with good pit stops and a sound strategy, we achieved possibly the best results that we can at the moment.”
Norbert Haug
“Sixth and seventh places for Nico and Michael are the best possible results with our current technical package, and our team has now finished in the top six rankings for the fifth time in the last seven races. These positions are certainly not our ultimate target but during the building-up time of our team, it is nevertheless positive to get the best possible results. A big thank you to the organisers of the spectacular race here in Abu Dhabi which creates a great atmosphere and fantastic television images. In this ‘home’ race for our team, we have achieved the results that we are currently capable of, and we want to come back next year with a quicker car and a better performance for our partner and co-owner Aabar. Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton and McLaren Mercedes for their victory today, which is the 71st Grand Prix win for McLaren Mercedes since 1997. Compliments also to everybody at Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines for having six Mercedes-powered cars between P1 and P9 today.”
* Official photos and report courtesy of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS *
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher qualified in seventh and eighth places this evening at the Yas Marina Circuit ahead of Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
• Nico completed one run in Q1 on prime tyres, two runs on the same set of options in Q2, and one option run in Q3
• Michael completed a prime and option run in Q1, two option runs in Q2, and one option run in Q3
• Nico and Michael both have one set of new options and two sets of new prime tyres available for the race tomorrow
Nico Rosberg
“We didn’t quite get the maximum from our qualifying session today which was a shame. The track temperatures dropped during the session and it became more difficult to get the tyres working. On my second run in Q3, I had too much traffic in front of me to warm the tyres up sufficiently and that hurt me on the quick lap, otherwise I think we could have been further ahead. However I’m on the good side of the grid and it should be a fun race tomorrow.”
Michael Schumacher
“It was quite a tight qualifying today. I aborted my last lap in Q1 to save tyres, and having some fresh tyres left is the good news from Q3 as well. Overall it was a normal qualifying where we would probably not have much more in the pocket. I also expect a straightforward race and we will try to make the most out of opportunities that arise. The tyres should not be a big issue here, and we tested their behaviour in P2 yesterday which took place at the same time as the race. The fact that the track temperatures will drop during the race might be good for us as we struggle a bit with the tyre temperatures here.”
Ross Brawn
“It was a reasonably straightforward qualifying session for us today with both drivers and the team doing a very good job. There was a little difference in straightline speed on Michael’s car which hampered his pace in relation to Nico so we need to have a look at that and understand why. Otherwise we are in good shape for the race and looking forward to tomorrow.”
Norbert Haug
“The best possible job from our team, Nico and Michael today. We have again been mindful of our strategy in order to save tyres for the race tomorrow, and we hope this approach will be to our benefit as has been the case in recent races. We would like to take the opportunity of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to express the whole team´s appreciation for our partner and co-owner Aabar which is, for our home race, also visible in increased branding on our cars. Today six Mercedes-powered cars made it into the top ten on the grid, the second time in the last five races.”
* Official photos and report courtesy of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS *
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
MERCEDES GP PETRONAS drivers Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg completed the first two practice sessions for the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit this evening.
• P1 took place in sunny afternoon conditions whilst P2 saw the floodlights switched on around the 5.554 km circuit
• Michael and Nico completed over 694 kms during the two sessions, which equates to 125 laps
• The team’s focus was mainly on race preparation and acclimatising to the different track conditions and temperatures
Michael Schumacher
“I am reasonably happy with our work in the two sessions today, and considering that we managed to work the car well, I´d say it was a good day. Obviously we have our limits to operate within, but we maximised what we have in hand, and the car felt very good. We now have to see how we can transform this work into our weekend and maybe grab some more points on a track which today was very consistent.”
Nico Rosberg
“It was a positive start to the weekend for me. We achieved some good set-up work, and I had good long runs today. We concentrated mainly on race pace and I covered a lot of laps, so I’m feeling confident for tomorrow. It was also great fun to drive on this fantastic track which I like very much.”
Ross Brawn
“We worked through a fairly standard Friday programme today and spent a lot of the time on race preparations. We have achieved some good information on car balance and tyre life, and some interesting factors have emerged from the drop in temperatures and the twilight conditions of P2. Overall, two very good sessions today where the car ran well, and we have a lot of information to work with overnight.”
Norbert Haug
“A productive first day at this beautiful and state-of-the-art race track which saw Michael running various programmes throughout the afternoon session whereas Nico concentrated on race simulations. Both drivers posted quite consistent lap times and our target for our ‘home’ Grand Prix here in Abu Dhabi will be to achieve similar results as we did in the second third of the season during the last six races.”
* Official photos and report courtesy of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS *
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
