 Alonso pounds around a wet Jerez in his Ferrari, with spray pouring out behind the car
Heavy rain ruined the first day of the second pre-season Formula 1 test. Nico Rosberg's Mercedes set the fastest lap during a brief period of dry running in the morning at Jerez in Spain before rain soaked the track. The German clocked one minute 20.927 seconds at Jerez to head Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi by 0.104secs. Rosberg's time was about two seconds off a representative quick lap in Jerez, and the persistent rain meant no more dry running was possible. "The car felt very good," Rosberg said. "Compared to Valencia where I was sitting too low which affected my visibility and the set-up wasn't perfect, I felt really comfortable and I could push so it was an enjoyable day and a good start to the test for me.  Webber waits beside the new Red Bull after stopping out on the track |
"Our objective here is to learn as much as possible, put miles on the car and engine to check the reliability and to make progress on our set-up work. The rain is a little frustrating but the car feels good to drive and that's what's important." Nico Hulkenberg's Williams was third ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard, who set the pace at last week's Valencia test, was nearly two seconds behind Rosberg, and he concentrated on evaluating the Ferrari on the two types of wet tyre. "The work was influenced by the bad weather, but nevertheless we managed to drive many kilometres and almost did 90 laps," Alonso said. "We're satisfied, because we could collect lots of data, which is important for the reliability. "We hope that the weather is better on Thursday, because it's important to drive on a dry track, too. "The car went very well on the wet track though and it's easy to drive. The feeling is good, just like on the dry. All in all I had some positive sensations."  The new Virgin car managed only a handful of laps on its first appearance |
The test lasts until Saturday, and features all the established teams as well as newcomers Virgin. Wednesday also saw the first running of the new Red Bull car, which was not ready in time to run in Valencia so its pace compared with the other top teams will be watched with interest this week. Mark Webber completed about 40 laps in wet conditions before he brought the session to a halt when his car stopped out on the track. While waiting for a recovery truck, he positioned his helmet and head protection behind the car so photographers could not take pictures of the car's diffuser, a crucial part of the rear of the car that promotes aerodynamic downforce. The team blamed the failure in an oil leak, but added that it had needed to change the engine as part of solving the problem. The only 2010 entrants who are not at the Spanish circuit are Lotus, who ran their car for the first time at Silverstone on Tuesday and are having an official launch in London on Friday, US F1 and Campos.  | 606: DEBATE |
Ferrari were the pace-setters at the opening test in Valencia last week, with drivers Felipe Massa and Alonso recording the fastest times on all three days. The top teams are splitting their drivers over the four days in Jerez. Alonso will also drive for Ferrari on Thursday, with Felipe Massa taking over for Friday and Saturday. World champion Jenson Button will drive for McLaren on the first two days of the test, with Lewis Hamilton taking over for the final two. Webber will continue driving on Thursday before 2009 world championship runner-up Sebastian Vettel takes over on Friday and Saturday. Mercedes will have Rosberg driving on Wednesday and Friday, with Michael Schumacher in the car on Thursday and Saturday.
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