Sidepodcast

Jerez Testing Dec 09 - Day One

Here we are at last, the first day of testing has arrived. How long we have waited for this moment!

We've been building up to the test over the past few days with a list of the young drivers who we are expecting to see. I have never heard of half of them, so researching their faces and achievements really helped to build a picture of who is doing it in the hopes of a race seat, who is turning up as a reward for good performance, and who is there to make up the numbers.

Circuit Information

• Track length: 4.423km
• Longest straight: 0.600km
• Corners: 13
• Lap record: 1:23.135 (Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Williams, 1997)

The Jerez circuit is located in the South of Spain not far from the cost of Portugal.

The venue is no longer used for F1 races, but is a favourite location for teams to carry out testing. The circuit layout is as follows:

Weather Information

The weather in Spain today is set to be sunny with a few clouds. Winds will be light and variable. Perfect conditions for some F1 testing then.

Driver Information

We are expecting to see the following drivers tackle Circuito de Jerez today:

• Daniel Ricciardo
• Brendon Hartley
• Andy Soucek
• Bertrand Baguette
• Jules Bianchi
• JR Hildebrand
• Paul di Resta
• Gary Paffett
• Oliver Turvey
• Alexander Rossi
• Mike Conway
• Marcus Ericsson

Useful Links

• Official Circuit Homepage
• F1 Today (timing updates)
• Motor 21 (live updates)

Hopefully, we'll be able to keep up to date with what is happening, but if you spot any pictures, information or links, please let us know in the comments, and we can keep an eye on who is fastest.

Who Are They, Anyway - Renault Young Drivers

It's time to look at our fourth team, in this series of posts examining the young drivers expected to test in Jerez next week. Most of them are names we haven't heard of before, so it seems prudent to do a little bit of background investigation and find out who they are, and why they are getting a golden opportunity. This time, it's Renault's turn.

Bertrand Baguette

• Age: 23
• Nationality: Belgian
• F1 Experience: None
• Notable Achievements: 4th Formula Renault 2.0 2006, 12th Superleague Formula 2008, 1st World Series by Renault 2009

Baguette's test comes about after his win in the World Series by Renault this year, and he has made steady progress through the Renault formulae throughout his career so far. Bertrand himself says that although he wants to get the fastest lap, for him the experience will be about proving he can analyse testing results and communicate well with the team. It's a strange kind of ambition, but he certainly seems to want to be part of the team.

Bertrand is prepping for his test with a special physical training course and has visited the Renault factory at Enstone for a bull briefing on the testing programme. He also has one of the best names ever, so I am rooting for him.

Bertrand is currently scheduled to test for just the first day in Jerez.

Lucas di Grassi

• Age: 25
• Nationality: Brazilian
• F1 Experience: Honda test driver, Renault test driver
• Notable Achievements: 3rd Formula 3 Euroseries 2005, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd GP2 Series 2007-09

Lucas has been in the test driver role for a while now, often being spotted around the paddock with either Honda or Renault. In his capacity as a GP2 driver, he has been held off the championship for several years in a row, but his time with team Campos have put him squarely in the frame for a rumoured race seat in 2010. Clearly he is regarded highly as one of the upcoming drivers.

At 25, he's got plenty of experience under his belt, so he'll be intent on showing that off next week. He also happens to be delicious.

Lucas is currently scheduled to test for the final two days in Jerez.

Ho-Pin Tung

• Age: 26
• Nationality: Chinese
• F1 Experience: Test with Williams, Test with BMW in 2007
• Notable Achievements: 4th in GP2 2007, 1st in GP2 Asia 2008, 11th Superleague Formula 2009

Ho-Pin Tung isn't a name I have heard of, and he seemed to be a late confirmation by Renault, but he has been linked with BMW in the past and handled duties as a Williams test driver for a short period, so he is a known in the paddock. His two years at GP2 saw only a couple of points finishes, and no podiums, but he did win one event at the last race of the Superleague season.

From the looks of things, Ho-Pin is currently scheduled to share the final two days of the Jerez test with di Grassi.