Rosberg tops the timesheets on the final day of 2013 pre-season testing - Drivers get their final long runs in as they wave goodbye to Barcelona
Published by Christine
For the final day of testing in Spain, the drivers managed to get through both morning and afternoon session without bringing out a red flag! Nico Rosberg was the fastest driver of the day, with a time set in the morning during the flying laps. The afternoon was focused on getting some long runs completed, and seven of the thirteen drivers in action today completed over 100 laps.
Kimi Räikkönen was back in action, after being out due to a stomach bug yesterday. He was feeling much better, and had even more chance to rest up in the morning when the car was forced to stay in the garage for an extended period due to a gearbox problem. Kimi didn't seem too downhearted about it, though.
I was sick yesterday and the car was sick this morning. It’s not what you want, but you go testing to find out if there are any problems with the car. Personally, I felt much better today and I was fine driving. We ran through a lot of assessments this afternoon and the feeling in the team is that we have a strong basis to start the season; even if we haven’t shown that every day.
- Kimi Räikkönen, Lotus
Elsewhere, Marussia ran a two-driver strategy, with both Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton getting an opportunity behind the wheel. Bianchi has had his one and a half days in the Marussia now, so he should be completely up to speed! Williams also had both Bottas and Maldonado in the car, and between they completed about 70 laps.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:20.130 | 131 |
| 2 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:20.494 | 120 |
| 3 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 1:21.444 | 122 |
| 4 | Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber | 1:21.541 | 118 |
| 5 | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus | 1:21.658 | 50 |
| 6 | Paul di Resta | Force India | 1:21.664 | 112 |
| 7 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | 1:22.415 | 42 |
| 8 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 1:22.514 | 100 |
| 9 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 1:22.524 | 31 |
| 10 | Charles Pic | Caterham | 1:23.115 | 116 |
| 11 | Jules Bianchi | Marussia | 1:23.167 | 62 |
| 12 | Daniel Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | 1:23.628 | 91 |
| 13 | Max Chilton | Marussia | 1:24.103 | 49 |
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel has admitted to being quite disappointed with the amount of work they have been able to get through, and the results they are seeing. You have to wonder if he's just being overly critical, although Red Bull didn't get off to a springing start in 2012 either. Toro Rosso didn't seem to have much in the way of pace today, either, but testing always manages to raise more questions than it answers.
A very good test again. Thank you to all the people at the factory for the hard work over the winter. See you tomorrow
dickiestanford
Pack up well under way, it's the last time the trucks & motorhomes will be used in anger before the European races.
Lunch done (Sunday roast for us here in Spain!) and the final prep is being done ready for #BOTTAS to get on track this afternoon #Barcelona
A very positive test in #Barcelona once again. Max has a raft of experience in varying conditions. Jules has done well over his 1.5 days
And that's it! Twelve days of pre-season testing complete and I can't say we're any the wiser. The teams, barring Lotus and perhaps Ferrari, managed to work out most of the early gremlins from their cars, but if we're talking pace, it's almost impossible to determine anything. It's been great fun keeping up with it all though! Roll on Melbourne!
