ROKiT Williams F1 Barcelona test 2 day 1 review 26.02.2020: Barcelona Test Two – Day One Drivers: Nicholas Latifi, George Russell Chassis / Engine: FW43-01 / Mercedes-AMG F1 M11 EQ Performance Location: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, 4.655 km Weather: Moderate and dry

Barcelona Test Two – Day One
 
Drivers: Nicholas Latifi, George Russell
Chassis / Engine: FW43-01 / Mercedes-AMG F1 M11 EQ Performance
Location: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, 4.655 km
Weather: Moderate and dry


Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance: The Team has spent the last few days going over the data that we collected last week, and this has allowed us to begin finalising parts of the aero specification of the car. Today we collected more rake data early in the day, which enabled us to complete that basic aero definition of the car.



 With the track still in good condition, Nicholas was able to begin the performance tuning runs shortly before 10:30am as the race engineers began to explore the newly defined aero package. Unfortunately, the morning was cut short by a PU oil system issue, requiring us to fit another new PU ready for George’s running in the afternoon.



Once George began his running the conditions were not as favourable as in the morning, and so we were able to spend some time understanding the behaviour of the car in the sort of conditions that we will face throughout the season. By the end of the afternoon we had made good progress and were able to spend the final 15 minutes completing pit stop practice.




Although parts of the day were frustrating, we nonetheless completed some very useful work, which sets us up nicely for the final two days of winter testing. The fact that we managed over 100 laps, despite changing drivers and the PU, is testament to both the dedication and work ethic of our mechanics, but also the current nature of Formula One generally.




Nicholas Latifi: Definitely this year is a big step forward in terms of the feeling of the car on the track and in that way, we are going in the right direction. As for the overall feeling in terms of the on-track driving, I would say this morning was another good step forward.



For sure I would have liked to have a bit more track time and laps banked heading into the first race, as our running was curtailed by an oil systems issue. Tomorrow I definitely want to maximise the track time as it is the final time I will get to drive the car before Melbourne.



George Russell: We tested a number of aero items today to get a greater idea of the spectrum of our car from top to bottom. Some of the changes we made were not as positive as others but definitely for our understanding overall, it was constructive. Come the end of the day, the car was more consistent and nicer to drive so we now need to look into the data to understand why that was the case. Ultimately, that is what testing is all about.





Pos.    Driver    Team    Best Time    Total Laps


1.    R. Kubica    Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN    1:16.942    53
2.    M. Verstappen    Aston Martin Red Bull Racing    1:17.347    84
3.    S. Perez    BWT Racing Point F1 Team    1:17.428    84
4.    D. Kvyat    Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda    1:17.456    61
5.    P. Gasly    Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda    1:17.540    25
6.    A. Albon    Aston Martin Red Bull Racing    1:17.550    29
7.    L. Hamilton    Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team    1:17.562    89
8.    L. Stroll    BWT Racing Point Formula One Team    1:17.787    43
9.    V. Bottas    Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team    1:18.100    90
10.    S. Vettel    Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow    1:18.113    84
11.    D. Ricciardo    Renault F1 Team    1:18.214    53
12.    C. Sainz    McLaren F1 Team    1:18.221    46
13.    C. Leclerc    Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow    1:18.244    80
14.    N. Latifi    ROKiT Williams Racing    1:18.300    48
15.    G. Russell    ROKiT Williams Racing    1:18.535    59
16.    R. Grosjean    Haas F1 Team    1:18.670    107
17.    L. Norris    McLaren F1 Team    1:18.826    57
18.    K. Raikkonen    Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN    1:19.515    51
19.    E. Ocon    Renault F1 Team    1:21.542    74




The FW43 returns to the track tomorrow in Barcelona with Nicholas Latifi in the car.



 
SOPHIE OGG - photos Williams