Kimi Raikkonen Ends Jerez Test Fastest For Lotus

Kimi Raikkonen has ended the Jerez test fastest for Lotus, after the Finn’s second day behind the wheel of the Renault-powered E21. The Iceman was followed home in 2nd by the Fore India of Jules Bianchi, with reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel 3rd.

Yet again the day began in sunny but chilly weather conditions, as the Caterham of Charles Pic became the first driver to take to the track once the session began. The Frenchman was followed out by many drivers up and down the grid, including the Force India of Jules Bianchi and Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes. The 2008 World Champion instantly set the first timed lap of the day, with a 01:37.864, as the Briton set to making up for lost time after his incident on Wednesday.

As more drivers began to set their first timed laps of the day, the Mexican of Esteban Gutierrez went fastest with a 01:21.766. The Sauber driver then instantly improved upon his time at the top with a 01:20.797, and was joined on the track by fellow countryman Sergio Perez. This became the first time two Mexican drivers had been on a track since 1968, when Pedro Rodriguez and Moisés Solana competed at the Mexican Grand Prix.

Reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel soon asserted his authority over proceedings with a 01:20.561, with the Red Bull driver keen to defend his Championship crown throughout the coming season. Vettel continued to lower the benchmark as the morning progressed, eventually setting a 01:20.155. However, Esteban Gutierrez soon rose above the German, setting a 01:19.996 as he continued to gather important track time for the new Sauber C32 machine.

Despite a busy morning out on the track, Pedro de la Rosa was one of the only drivers yet to complete a timed lap for Ferrari. Eventually the Spaniard left the confines of the pit lane and took to the Jerez circuit, only for his Ferrari F138 to splutter to a halt in a plume of smoke after two laps. This caused the first red flag delay of the day, however the Ferrari was quickly cleared and the track action was soon resumed. It was later confirmed that Pedro de la Rosa’s Ferrari had suffered from a gearbox failure.

Once the cars began circulating the Jerez circuit once again, Lewis Hamilton and then Sergio Perez rose to the top, with the latter setting a 01:19.696. However, proceedings were once again brought to a halt when the Sauber of Esteban Gutierrez stopped offline at the Senna Chicane, with the Swiss outfit confirming they were carrying out a fuel check on the C32 thus resulting in Gutierrez running out of fuel.

Kimi Raikkonen shot to the top of the timing sheets once the track returned to green flag conditions, however the Iceman was soon thwarted by the ever-competitive Sebastian Vettel who set a 01:18.789. Esteban Gutierrez momentarily displaced the Red Bull driver, however Sebastian Vettel quickly resumed his top spot with a 01:18.565. Track action was brought to an unorthodox halt in the afternoon, when a hole was spotted between Turns 9 and 10 around a foot from the track.

A Jerez track official investigates the hole.

This discovery saw the red flag return as track officials investigated the issue further, with team personnel also visiting the scene of the delay. Initially the track officials tried to cover the hole with what was described as a black plastic version of a sleeping policeman. However this idea was quickly altered, and the hole was filled with cement which enabled track action to resume shortly after. The lengthy delay due to the hole in the track saw 30 minutes added to the testing time, with proceedings instead set to end at 17:30 local time.

Force India’s Jules Bianchi set the fastest time of the day as the teams once again returned to the track, with the Frenchman setting a 01:18.175 behind the wheel of the VJM06. Bianchi’s day was soon ended when Force India elected to return Paul di Resta behind the wheel, with the Briton set to see out the remainder of the day for the Silverstone-based outfit. Whilst Paul di Resta set his first timed laps of the day, Kimi Raikkonen shot to the top of the timing sheets with a 01:18.148 for Lotus.

Despite the additional time after the delay for the hole in the track, Kimi Raikkonen remained fastest as the fourth and final day drew to a close at Jerez, therefore ending Formula 1’s time at the circuit for another year. The Finn was followed home in 2nd place by the Force India of Jules Bianchi, with reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel 3rd for Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton completed the most amount of laps for Mercedes with 145, with the Briton clearly making up for the lost ground of the opening two days.

The Formula 1 fraternity will reconvene on February 19th at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya for the second pre-season test, and the first of two to be held at the circuit. The second test will also see Williams unveil their new FW35, after using the Jerez test to gather valuable information using an updated version of their 2012 FW34.

TODAY'S TIMES

Pos  Driver                 Team            Time                Laps
 1.  Kimi Raikkonen         Lotus           1m18.148s           83
 2.  Jules Bianchi          Force India     1m18.175s  + 0.027  56
 3.  Sebastian Vettel       Red Bull        1m18.565s  + 0.417  96
 4.  Esteban Gutierrez      Sauber          1m18.669s  + 0.521  142
 5.  Jean-Eric Vergne       Toro Rosso      1m18.760s  + 0.612  92
 6.  Lewis Hamilton         Mercedes        1m18.905s  + 0.757  145
 7.  Sergio Perez           McLaren         1m18.944s  + 0.796  98
 8.  Valtteri Bottas        Williams        1m19.851s  + 1.703  92
 9.  Pedro de la Rosa       Ferrari         1m20.316s  + 2.168  51
10.  Charles Pic            Caterham        1m21.105s  + 2.957  109
11.  Luiz Razia             Marussia        1m21.226s  + 3.078  82
12.  Paul di Resta          Force India     1m23.435s  + 5.287  49

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Hole In Jerez Track Delays Testing

A hole on the edge of the Jerez circuit has delayed proceedings on the fourth and final day of the opening test ahead of the new season, as track personnel strive to rectify the issue to allow track action to resume. Reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel is currently atop the timing sheets, ahead of the Sauber of Esteban Gutierrez.

The gaping hole between Turns 9 and 10 was discovered just before 1pm local time, when debris was spotted on the circuit. The hole is situated roughly a foot from the kerb, and track action was naturally brought to a halt to allow track personnel to investigate the issue further. Initially it was decided to try and cover up the hole with what was described by AutoSport as a black plastic version of a sleeping policeman, however the decision to implement such a device was quickly changed.

It was then decided to fill the hole with cement, as track and team personnel watched the proceedings. The cement was assisted in its drying process by the track personnel, with the track eventually being deemed safe for the action to be resumed. This slightly unorthodox delay comes after Pirelli implored the teams to consider an alternative location for pre-season testing next season, after the Italian tyre supplier deemed the track surface too rough for testing.

Reading between the lines, it looks as though Formula 1’s presence at the Spanish circuit is nearing its end, with Pirelli seemingly keen on visiting other circuits to test their new tyres. Jerez has become a significant location for pre-season testing, and last hosted a Grand Prix back in 1997 when Jacques Villeneuve was crowned Champion in unforgettable circumstances.