Lotus lead the way as Mugello test draws to a close - Grosjean on top as Alonso falters
Published by Christine
It was Romain Grosjean who topped the timesheets on the final day of testing in Mugello, making it two days in a row for Lotus. Rather than posting exactly the same time as the second place driver, Grosjean led Sebastian Vettel by a couple of tenths of a second.
The weather was behaving again, allowing plenty of running throughout the day - six drivers completed more than 100 laps this time out.
Fernando Alonso struggled to keep control of his Ferrari, and ended up in the barriers early on, damaging the front wing. The team were trying out a raft of new updates and managed to recover to post the third fastest time.
The feeling I have after the test is a positive one. We have introduced a few small, and I stress that word, aerodynamic updates, that have produced the response we were expecting and that is the most positive news, which means I am confident for the future, in the short and the long term.
- Fernando Alonso
Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo kept the pace up for Toro Roso, finishing the day fourth, whilst McLaren continued to finish down the order. Oliver Turvey finished his test with the ninth fastest time.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus | 1:21.035 | 66 |
| 2 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 1:21.267 | 106 |
| 3 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:21.363 | 98 |
| 4 | Daniel Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | 1:21.604 | 117 |
| 5 | Sergio Pérez | Sauber | 1:22.229 | 118 |
| 6 | Nico Hülkenberg | Force India | 1:22.325 | 55 |
| 7 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | 1:22.497 | 63 |
| 8 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:22.579 | 129 |
| 9 | Oliver Turvey | McLaren | 1:22.662 | 99 |
| 10 | Paul di Resta | Force India | 1:23.002 | 34 |
| 11 | Heikki Kovalainen | Caterham | 1:23.169 | 139 |
| 12 | Timo Glock | Marussia | 1:23.466 | 110 |
Yesterday, Williams were last on the timesheets, but today Pastor Maldonado improved to seventh. The team aren't worried about the times, however, in the knowledge they have been trying out plenty of parts and concentrating on development, rather than speed.
And that's us done...Bruno has left, Pastor is leaving & Valtteri is with us dashing to the airport!
WilliamsF1Team
Overall a very positive final day of work in Mugello. Lots to learn and plenty of data to study. Well prepared for Barcelona weekend.
Finished the meeting! Now many analysis and preparations for the next GP. Very productive day, with many tests! And 98 laps..;))!
The final day of testing provoked a few thoughts from drivers over the relative merits of the Mugello track. Read and see more at F1 Big Picture for the final test day.
