Sergio Perez Reigns Supreme On Day Two At Barcelona Test

Sergio Perez has ended the second day of the Barcelona test fastest for McLaren, as the Mexican driver continues to find his feet at the Woking-based outfit. The youngster was followed home by reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel, with the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton a distant 3rd.

Day two of the Barcelona test dawned in cold yet sunny weather conditions for the eleven Formula 1 teams up and down the paddock, as a slightly revised driver line-up prepared to take to the Circuit de Catalunya. Lewis Hamilton was scheduled to make his first appearance of the week at Mercedes, with Nico Hulkenberg and Valtteri Bottas doing likewise at their respective outfits. Once the track turned green, Charles Pic and Max Chilton became the first drivers to take to the circuit, with many others following suit to carry out their installation laps.

The first timed lap of the day was set by the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, who produced a 01:28.723 early on. The 2008 World Champion continued to improve at the top, eventually working his way down to a 01:27.563. However, his McLaren successor Sergio Perez soon rose to the top setting a 01:26.294. Just like the Briton before him, Perez was able to improve upon his time at the top with a 01:25.481. As the morning session wore on, Lewis Hamilton began trading fastest times at the top with the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel.

Eventually the reigning World Champion asserted his authority by setting a 01:22.197, with Sergio Perez slotting into 2nd position for McLaren +0.546 seconds off the German’s pace. Sebastian Vettel’s time at the top remained unchallenged for the remainder of the morning period, with the German eventually entering the lunch hour fastest. Once the track action had been resumed after the lunch interval, Nico Hulkenberg became the first driver to take to the Circuit de Catalunya for Sauber.

Although the majority of the field had completed considerable mileage throughout the morning period, Kimi Raikkonen had endured a quiet second day for Lotus. The reasons behind this became apparent in the afternoon when the Enstone-based outfit confirmed that the Finn’s E21 had been struck with a gearbox issue, and that the team were currently changing the gearbox. This therefore accounted for the 2007 World Champion’s inactivity throughout the morning period.

Sergio Perez rose to the top for McLaren once again, with the Mexican ace setting a 01:21.848. After several hours of idleness for Kimi Raikkonen, the Finn finally returned to the track several hours into the afternoon period, with the Iceman shooting straight to 3rd fastest with a 01:22.697. Amazingly the entire morning period passed by without a red flag delay, however reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel brought proceedings to a momentary halt during the afternoon after the German came to a halt at the end of the pit-lane.

The session was quickly resumed as the German’s car was returned to Red Bull’s garage, with six drivers immediately taking to the track including Sergio Perez and Kimi Raikkonen. Despite many drivers taking to the track with only several minutes remaining in the day, the second day was brought to a premature end when the Marussia of Max Chilton stopped between Turns 12 and 13. This therefore saw Sergio Perez end the day fastest for McLaren, ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.

Tomorrow will once again see several driver changes up and down the paddock, including Nico Rosberg’s return behind the wheel of the Mercedes W04, Mark Webber replacing Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button at McLaren and the return of Adrian Sutil at Force India.

Today's times

Pos  Driver             Team          Time       Gap     Laps  Tyre
 1.  Sergio Perez       McLaren       1m21.848s           97   Soft
 2.  Sebastian Vettel   Red Bull      1m22.197s  +0.349   84   Soft
 3.  Kimi Raikkonen     Lotus         1m22.697s  +0.849   43   Medium
 4.  Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes      1m22.726s  +0.878   121  Hard
 5.  Fernando Alonso    Ferrari       1m23.247s  +1.399   76   Medium
 6.  Valtteri Bottas    Williams      1m23.561s  +1.713   98   Soft
 7.  Daniel Ricciardo   Toro Rosso    1m23.718s  +1.870   70   Medium
 8.  Paul di Resta      Force India   1m23.971s  +2.123   62   Medium
 9.  Nico Hulkenberg    Sauber        1m24.205s  +2.357   88   Medium
10.  Max Chilton        Marussia      1m25.115s  +3.267   67   Soft
11.  Charles Pic        Caterham      1m26.243s  +4.395   102  Medium

Picture Copyright © McLaren F1 Team

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.

No Mid-Season Test For 2013

Formula 1 teams have come to the agreement that another mid-season test next year will be not be planned, after agreeing to only hold only three pre-season tests at the usual venues of Barcelona and Jerez in Spain. This comes after several technical chiefs have calculated that enough running is completed during the pre-season tests.

Earlier this season the teams had the opportunity to partake in a mid-season test around the glorious Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello circuit in Northern Italy. The test was met with mixed feelings within the paddock, with some teams questioning the amount of money spent in comparison with the amount of benefits acquired during the Mugello test.

The teams have therefore come to the conclusion that there will be no repeat of this mid-season test next year, with some teams already prepared to open their 2013 preparations on February 5th at Jerez in Spain. The teams will then move swiftly on to two further tests at the popular testing venue in Barcelona, at the Circuit de Catalunya. The test sessions are scheduled to take place between February 19th-22nd, and February 28th-March 3rd. The teams will then head to the opening round of the 2013 season at Australia’s Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, which is currently scheduled for March 17th.

The dates for the 2013 calendar not currently set in stone, and therefore the dates for the opening race weekend in Australia could be rescheduled for an earlier or later date. If this eventuality occurs, then the teams will naturally be required to reschedule their testing plans in accordance with the opening race weekend.

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team

IndyCar’s Sonoma Raceway Altered To Enhance Overtaking

It has been announced that the Sonoma Raceway in California, which will play host to the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma later this month, will be altered with the aim of enhancing overtaking opportunities during the race. This will see modifications to several parts of the circuit, including the penultimate turn 11 hairpin.

During a press conference at turn 11, featuring Sonoma Raceway’s president and general manager Steve Page and Team Penske driver Ryan Briscoe, the changes were unveiled to the media. Modifications will also be carried out at turns 7 and 9, all with the intention of increasing overtaking opportunities around the track.

At turn 7, the looping right-hander has been replaced by a u-turn. This will force drivers to out-brake each other, in a similar fashion to turn 11 at the end of the circuit. The exit of turn 9 will be widened by 10 feet on the drivers left, which alone will invite overtaking opportunities. The exit of the turn will now be 50 feet wide, and a perfect opportunity for some great action throughout the lap. And finally turn 11 has been extended by 200 feet, thus giving the drivers more space to potentially out-brake each other and carry out an overtake.

“These changes reflect nearly a year of study and consultation with drivers, racing engineers and sanctioning officials,” explained Steve Page. “Combining these new corners and braking zones with IndyCar’s new competitive engine environment should open things up considerably and we’re very anxious to see the results play out at the race in a few weeks.”

Due to these modifications, the tracks length has been increased to 2.21 miles (formerly 2.303 miles), which has therefore altered the race distance from 75 to 85 laps. Australia’s Will Power has won the last two races around Sonoma, and will undoubtedly be looking for his hat-trick when the IndyCar Series arrives at the Californian circuit later this month.

Picture Copyright © Getty Images