Takuma Sato tops day 1 of Barcelona test - Sato takes Toro Rosso to the top, whilst van der Garde ruins his chance
Published by Christine
Welcome to F1Minute, it’s the 17th November 2008.
Testing got underway at Barcelona today, with our first glimpse of the 2009 wings in action. BMW ran a very high rear wing and low front wing, and it’s not that pretty. They were also testing out KERS, with the mechanics protected with thick gloves.
Toyota were the only team not in action, and we saw Takuma Sato top the timesheets in his test for Toro Rosso. Sébastien Buemi, also in the Toro Rosso, was just three tenths slower.
There were three red flags, caused by Robert Kubica for BMW and Nico Hülkenberg for Williams, with the main disaster saved for Giedo van der Garde in the Renault. He completed 27 laps as part of his World Series prize, but crashed out and finished the day in 16th.
Elsewhere, it appears the Canadian Grand Prix will definitely be off the calendar as the Montreal Mayor has admitted: “Despite our endeavours, the unreasonable demands of Formula One exceeded the taxpayer’s ability to pay.”
That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1Minute.
