Hamilton sets 2009 cars pace at Jerez

World champion Lewis Hamilton was the fastest driver in 2009 machinery on the penultimate day of testing at the Jerez circuit.

But the Briton was shadowed by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, who finished just 0.001 seconds behind in the RB5, as the car continued to show its potential in only its fourth day of running.

Toro Rosso's Sebastien Bourdais, in his first test since he was confirmed for the 2009 season, posted the quickest time of the day in the 2008-spec car, finishing over two seconds ahead of Hamilton.

The McLaren driver, taking over from teammate Heikki Kovalainen, managed 93 laps at the wheel of the MP4-24 and was left pleased with his day's work.

"Today's test gave me the first opportunity to drive MP4-24 in warm, dry conditions - and I'm very encouraged by what I felt," he said.

"The car feels strong, very similar to last year's car, in fact. It doesn't take long to get used to the new buttons in the cockpit [KERS & front-wing flaps] but the real test for everyone now is to understand the slick tyres ahead of the first race in Melbourne next month."

Vettel completed just one lap less than the Briton as he continued with the development of the new Red Bull.

He finished ahead of Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima and Fernando Alonso in the Renault, the Spaniard the busiest man today with 133 laps.

"Today was all about getting mileage on the car, especially with the new KERS system," said Alonso.

"It was my first full dry day in the car and so I was able to learn a lot. We completed lots of laps, which is encouraging and now we will start working on the set-up of the car so that I can get more comfortable with it."

Today's times:

Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:18.493 128 2. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:20.737 93 3. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:20.738 92 4. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:20.898 92 5. Alonso Renault (B) 1:21.307 133 All Timing Unofficial

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BMW not in bad shape, says Kubica

Robert Kubica believes his BMW Sauber team are "not in bad shape" following the first tests with the new car for the 2009 season.

The German squad were on of the few who got significant mileage in their first test, thanks to staying at Valencia, where the weather allowed them to work properly despite strong winds.

The majority of their rivals have been hampered by poor weather in their tests.

Kubica reckons BMW are looking good so far, although he is aware that they will need to maximise their opportunities in order to beat the opposition.

"I think we are not in bad shape," Kubica said after testing at the Bahrain circuit on Wednesday.

"But as always to find the results we have to make sure we use our maximum potential of the car, the drivers, everything, to beat everybody, which will be not easy for sure, because in the end, if you go up against top teams everything has to work 100% or even better.

"If you want to win you have to be better than them. I think we are working well, but as I said it is difficult to say where we are."

The Pole admitted, however, that is it very hard to judge who is strong and who isn't so far, especially with the all the new rules introduced.

"I think, as always in testing it is very, very difficult to grasp, especially at this early stage. So nobody knows what other teams are doing, so I don't know," he added.

"In the end we will see the full potential and the true story of where we are only in Australia. But of course we can some, more or less, idea of where we are, but still it is more guessing than true information."

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McLaren set '09 car pace in Jerez

McLaren moved ahead of Red Bull in the times on day two of testing at Jerez, as the the battle to develop 2009's breed of Formula One cars continued. Meanwhile, Sebastien Buemi once again set the pace for Toro Rosso at the Spanish track.

The Swiss rookie, who lowered his mark to 1:17.591, completed a full grand prix simulation, including refuelling and safety car procedures, as the team set about building up its databank on the new slick tyres. It also worked some more on a new rear suspension.

"This has been a useful couple of days for me, running in wet and dry conditions," said Buemi. "Even though we are still in the '08 car, I have learned a lot in terms of how we operate over a race weekend, as we simulated a qualifying session and the
race.

"It was good preparation and now, all we need is our new car," he added.

Buemi now hands over to Sebastien Bourdais for the remainder of the test.

Heikki Kovalainen was the fastest man in an '09 machine, although his MP4-24 was fitted with a modified '08 rear wing as the team are still waiting for a new high-downforce version.

The Finn did several long runs, lapping more than a second faster than yesterday as he became more comfortable with the characteristics and setup of the car. He will now step aside for Lewis Hamilton to continue development.

Mark Webber was third fastest in the new RB5, the Australian claiming afterwards that his return to the cockpit was easier than he had anticipated following his recovery from a broken leg (see separate story).

Kazuki Nakajima was fourth fastest, less than two tenths slower than Webber, as he got his first proper taste of the Williams FW31. The Japanese also focussed on setup optimisation and an in-depth tyre programme.

Williams technical director Sam Michael said: "Kazuki covered over 550kms while undertaking mechanical set-up tests. He also completed a full race simulation without issue."

Renault's Nelson Piquet had another frustrating day for Renault, completing just 49 laps with the R29. The Brazilian did however close the gap to other 2009 cars lapping just over half a second off Nakajima's time.

"The track conditions were better today and we continued with the work we did yesterday, learning about the car and beginning some basic set-up work," said Piquet. "Again we didn't do as many laps as we would have liked as we lost some time after lunch, but we still learnt some interesting things. The weather looks good for the rest of the week so the team should be able to get some more important data tomorrow and Friday."

Fernando Alonso takes over from Piquet and will conduct the remainder of Renault's testing this week.

Today's times:

Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:17.591 143 2. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:20.799 110 3. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:21.321 83 4. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:21.451 125 5. Piquet Renault (B) 1:21.908 49 All Timing Unofficial

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Q and A with Robert Kubica

Q. How are things going with the new car?

Robert Kubica: I think things are going pretty well. Valencia was a very good test for us, although we were the only team there so the track conditions were not the best, and the wind was pretty strong. Here yesterday we had a slow start in the morning, because of the fog, but later it was quite good.

The grip was quite good and even though there were only three cars running we have had quite good testing in the hot weather. It is good to see how the tyres are reacting and stuff like this.

Q. How were the tyres reacting?

RK: Very good I would say. We have here two different compounds, we are using one main standard one, so maybe it was not the best but I think all in all we haven't seen as many problems as we did last December with the tyres, so this is good. And of course I am getting to know the car better, and trying to found out which area we have to improve, how much we have to improve, and feeling from a driver's point-of-view what the car should do to go quicker.

Q. What's different about this car compared to one with last year's level of downforce?

RK: There is quite a big difference. It is a big challenge for the engineers and designers, but also for the drivers. We get some grip from the tyres, which is fortunate, otherwise it would be very, very slippery. Overall, the reduction of the aerodynamic downforce is really big, so you feel it, the car has a completely different characteristic to drive.

The slick tyres deliver a lot of grip quickly, especially the fronts, so the tyres slide a lot at the rear. When the track is green it is quite an oversteery car to drive. But I think it is still at quite an early stage and everybody will adapt. Car set-up, drivers's style, stuff like this so we will see.

Q. Are the new cars more fun to drive than a 2008 car?

RK: I will not say it like this. A Formula One car is always fun to drive. It is fun because they have slick tyres, which is a big step forward from a driving point-of-view. But of course, from my point of view I would prefer to have more downforce. But it is still good fun.

Q. How does the F1.09 feel compared to the interim car BMW used in December?

RK: I would say quite a big difference.

Q. An improvement?

RK: I don't know. We hope so! I will say it is bit different to drive, but still we were happy to drive in December with the B car, to get some knowledge to find out what is necessary to decide which direction to go in. We hope this car will pay off, and the information it gave to the '09 car. We put a lot of work into this project last year so we will see.

Q. The gaps in Jerez, between the teams, have been quite big, whereas it looks quite close here. Do you have a feel for relative performance yet?

RK: I think, as always in testing it is very, very difficult to grasp, especially at this early stage. So nobody knows what other teams are doing, so I don't know. In the end we will see the full potential and the true story of where we are only in Australia. But of course we can some, more or less, idea of where we are, but still it is more guessing than true information.

Q. What is your guess?

RK: I think we are not in bad shape. But as always to find the results we have to make sure we use our maximum potential of the car, the drivers, everything, to beat everybody. Which will be not easy for sure, because in the end, if you go up against top teams everything has to work 100% or even better. If you want to win you have to be better than them. I think we are working well, but as I said it is difficult to say where we are.

Q. Do you have a superlicense yet for this year?

RK: For now I don't know.

Q. What can you say following the statement by the GPDA last week, what is your view on the situation?

RK: There is nothing really to go into the details of it, everything was said in the letter. The situation is like this and we will try to... the drivers are open to discuss it and we hope to sit down and get a final result.

Q. What if Max Mosley isn't open to a discussion is there a chance of a strike in Melbourne?

RK: I don't know. There is still a long time to go.

Q. You look at the news, 30,000 people lose their jobs at Woolworths in the UK, people losing their jobs at steel companies, Honda etc. Is it smart of the drivers, who earn millions of Euros to complain about their license fee given the current climate?

RK: I don't know.

Q. You could argue that the drivers won't earn much sympathy at a time when so many people are losing their jobs.

RK: I don't think so. Everybody thinks of it in that way, we forget that drivers were complaining last year, and then we didn't know that we would have this situation in the world.

Q. But they didn't complain as vocally. It seems strange to complain so publicly, about something 12 months after it has happened.

RK: Maybe. The public didn't know. It is not as if the story started one week ago, that's all.

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FIA receives first licence applications

Formula One drivers have begun to pay for their mandatory superlicences, despite a ongoing row over the fees demanded for them.

The Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) had been urging its members to hold back on paying for the licences while it continues discussions with the FIA about a restructuring of the way the fees are calculated.

The GPDA has been unhappy since the beginning of last year about a huge rise in the costs of the licence - where the 1690 Euros fee for 2007 rose to 10,000 Euros for 2008. There was further discontent about another inflationary rise for this season.

Although the GPDA issued a statement at the end of last week saying the increases were 'inherently unfair' and stating that the drivers should not be used as a 'revenue stream' to bolster the FIA's budget, it appears some racers have ended their stand off with the governing body.

Following an email sent to teams earlier this week reminding them to process the superlicences as soon as possible, the FIA has confirmed that three drivers have now lodged their applications with the governing body.

A spokesman for the FIA said: "We can confirm that the FIA has received payment from three drivers."

Although the GPDA is unhappy about the situation, the body has made it clear that talk of a possible strike at the Australian Grand Prix is wide of the mark.

"Everyone should be careful about how they treat this topic because then we could get headlines saying 'Drivers dissatisfied' or 'Drivers to strike'," Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel said earlier this week.

"That (a strike) has never been spoken about. But the fact that we are not happy with how the increases were presented to us has been made clear. We are open to cooperate with the FIA. But what happens in the future remains to be seen."

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Q and A with Timo Glock

Q. You had your first good serious run with the new car here. What is your verdict after one day plus another 15 laps?

Timo Glock: The first day was a good start, a good basic day. We did a lot of progress and a lot of development with the set-up. We tried a lot of directions, and in the end we found a good starting point for the testing season. At the end unfortunately we did not have a full second day, as we had a lot of stuff on the list to test, but the first impression is okay.

It is positive. And certainly easier than last year! Then I had a lot more grey hairs trying to work out how to bring the car more into my driving style and direction. But this year the car suits me much better, and now we have to wait and see.

Q. How different does it feel to a 2008-style car?

TG: I would say the biggest difference is the tyres. The tyres are more what I need and more what I like. The grooved tyres are every time difficult in terms of feedback. Last year I was struggling more with the tyres than anything else, but in the second half of the season it was much better, but you have to get used to it first. This year we are returning to slick tyres so that makes like a little bit easier.

Q. Bridgestone has said that the grip ratio has changed because of the relative size of the front tyres compared to the rears. Has that changed your driving style?

TG: No. I know from GP2 that is was a similar situation, and you just have to go a little bit in a special direction with the setup to make it more driveable. The front is quite strong but you have to find a way to make the rear work.

Q. Is there more onus on the driver to keep the tyres in a good condition on longer runs?

TG: Definitely. When you overshoot the tyres it is quite difficult to get it back, and it is the same that we had in GP2. In GP2 the only way was to try and make the rear tyres survive, and it will be quite similar in F1 this year too.

Q. So you think those of you who have driven recently in GP2 are starting from a higher baseline than those who have not?

TG: Well, when I look at last year, Jarno had driven with grooved tyres for 10 years or whatever. For me, it was like the first year ago. Now, it is a bit more equal. He knows what he has to do with slick tyres, so at the end it is not an advantage for me or any GP2 driver.

Q. You did some long runs with the car, and although early to say, what is your feeling on the relative performance?

TG: I would say that the lap time was okay. I never hit it in the first lap with new tyres because I made too many mistakes, but in the long runs the car felt pretty good. It was pretty strong and consistent, and I would say it was competitive for the long runs.

Q. Things seem very close in Bahrain but not so in Jerez. Do you know why that could be?

TG: It is a good question. You never know what the other guys are doing, but here for us it looks quite tight. But you have to have all the cars together on the same track on the same day to see the real result. I think the real result you will see the first time in Melbourne. Everyone at the moment is playing around trying to find some direction. I would say it is still a quite open window.

Q. With grooves last year you had to treat them carefully - especially on out laps. Are the slicks sensitive in the same way as the grooves?

TG: You have to prepare them a bit different. At the end it is not the same like the grooves that you have to be careful - it is a bit easier on the out lap. For me strangely I locked up the front tyres more on the first lap, which is why I made some mistakes. I tried some different driving styles as well, and some different directions. At the end I would say it is a little bit easier than with the grooved tyres but to get 100 percent out of the tyres is not easy.

Q. Have you got a superlicence yet?

TG: So far, no.

Q. Reports this week suggest that three drivers have...

TG: For me, not. I am here in Bahrain so the information is quite difficult. But I will sort it out in the next couple of days. In the end to race in F1 we have to have one, so let's wait and see.

Q. What is your view of the superlicence situation? Some people are sympathetic for the drivers, and others are critical that while thousands of people around the world are losing their jobs it seems millionaires are worried about a small percentage of their earnings.

TG: Maybe not everyone is a millionaire in F1. It is my first year, and it is expensive. It is an expensive licence, and you see in all other motorsport categories that there is not even anything close to that amount of money. But it is for everyone the same.

We have to wait and see, but in the end I don't know why we have to pay so much money. For me it is too extreme the increase from last year to this year, and from 2007 to 2008. The point is that there is no real explanation for that amount of increase. At the end, we have to pay for it. That is how it is.

Q. So you don't expect things to change?

TG: There is no change at the moment I think.

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Mateschitz: Bourdais the best option

Scuderia Toro Rosso team owner Dietrich Mateschitz has said that retaining Sebastien Bourdais for another season was the only genuine option to maintain their strong level of performance from 2008.

Bourdais and Takuma Sato were both in contention for a place alongside Sebastien Buemi in the team, but Mateschitz says he valued having a driver return for a second season with them.

"There were no significant alternatives to Bourdais," he said. "Sato was doing well in testing, but he would have started where Bourdais started a year ago.

"Bourdais had some good races and very competitive qualifyings last season, but also some bad luck. When you invest in a driver for one year and he is doing reasonably well, it makes sense to work with him for another year. He has the potential to make the best of his second year."

Bourdais will take over testing duties at Jerez from Buemi tomorrow, which will be the first time he has driven the car since December 10.

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