The Formula 1 field returned to sunny Spain for the first test of the 2013 season.
After over two months away from the action, working night and day to get to the first test of the year we have finally arrived. Glamorous, and not so glamorous, car launches have been and gone. The cars debuted on track to kick off the 2013 season.
Testing is always an exciting and important time for Formula 1. The teams have been working non-stop to prepare for the season ahead, whilst drivers have been off relaxing on holiday and burning the excess weight from Christmas. The sport never stops, even over what is called the "winter break", although it is barely a break at all.
Jerez is the scene of the first test of 2013, where for four days teams will lap continiously. Their main aim? For one, reliability and if not resolving those issues. It is better to retire at Jerez in comparison to Australia. Another is speed, we get our first glimpse of who is where. Of course it is difficult to judge but a running order can vaguely be picked out. The other is getting comfortable in the car, getting confident, used to the surroundings and how things work. Being prepared is crucial for starting the season on a high.
So what of the first day? In the cars were: Webber (Red Bull), Massa (Ferrari), Button (McLaren), Grosjean (Lotus), Rosberg (Mercedes), Hulkenberg (Sauber), Di Resta (Force India), Maldonado (Williams 2012-spec), Ricciardo (Toro Rosso), van der Garde (Caterham) and Chilton (Marussia).
There were some new faces to full time F1 drivers, Giedo van der Garde and Max Chilton stepping up from their reserve driver roles of 2012. Both did well and got some mileage under their belt, but more on that later.
After the rather speedy launches of the Marussia and Caterham 2013 cars, the green light came on for the first winter test of 2013. By the days end, as the Spanish sun set, it was Button who ended the day on top.
The Brit completed a mere 37 laps on route to the top spot, with a best lap time of 1m18.861. He had a troubled start to the day after a fuel pump failure left him stranded on track after just three laps. It was the first red flag of the day and meant his MP4-28 spent much of the morning session in the garage.
However the afternoon session saw a dramatic change in fortunes for the Woking based team, as Button tore up and time sheets and moved up to third place. A late burst of speed saw him take to the top of the time sheets by a clear margin. However Jenson noted that he was happy the problem occurred at this stage of the 2013 season, and he still got some useful mileage under his belt.
The start of the session was very quiet and it took the whole morning to have a complete time sheet, due to numerous teams running system checks and aerodynamic tests. This data gathering is a necessity in Formula 1's computer driven guise, but more action is to come.
Mark Webber had a strong start to his 2013 campaign, eventually setting the second fastest time of the day. It was a relatively trouble free opening day for the Aussie, encouraging for the next few days of testing. However troubles can always arise, but the Red Bull team got 73 laps out of their challenger.
Romain Grosjean was next up for Lotus, showing that despite keeping the stepped nose they were still one of the teams to beat. Obviously testing can not be read in to but the Frenchman, who will turn from racing driver to Father later this year, ended the day a second down on Button after 54 laps. Paul Di Resta was next up in the Force India, who are yet to announce the Scot's team mate. He completed a mammoth 89 laps of the Jerez circuit, cementing the Silverstone based team as the busiest on the opening day.
Daniel Ricciardo continued to show the speed he revealed in the 2012 test, rounding out the top five. The STR8 is a stunning car, and Daniel drove well to finish the opening day 1.5 seconds down on McLaren's team leader. He completed 70 laps and was happy with his progress.
Felipe Massa will test the Ferrari F138 for the the next two days, giving the car over to the teams development driver Pedro de la Rosa for its final outing at the Jerez track. With no Alonso around, Massa shone with a trouble free first day. He showed some decent speed and ended the day sixth in the time sheets, 1.6 seconds off the pace but with 64 consistent laps of mileage.
Sauber's new signing Nico Hulkenberg was the first to drive on to the Jerez circuit when the green light appeared. He showed strong pace in the morning session but dropped back in the afternoon as the Swiss team took a different route. However 79 laps on the first day is an encouraging sign for him and his new team.
Nico Rosberg's opening run in the Mercedes W04 was far from straightforward. After 14 laps of consistent running he pulled off to the side of the circuit after part of his car set fire. It was a small electrical fire that created the flames, and created some stunning pictures for photographers. However it was not good news for Mercedes and they set to work, but decided to sit out the rest of the days running.
It was a difficult start, as new parts needed to arrive overnight. However the team are still confident, despite the problems. In contrast Pastor Maldonado had a relatively smooth opening day of testing. Unlike the Williams teams 10 rivals, they decided to bring their 2012 car to the first test. However they did debut their new livery, with more splashes of white, and the addition of a "vanity panel" to cover the stepped nose. 84 laps of running on the Pirelli tyres will be useful to the team, but you have to wonder if it will impact their season and preparations.
F1 rookies Giedo van der Garde and Max Chilton debuted their newly launched cars on track at Jerez. The 27-year-old had a good start to his first year as a fully fledged Formula 1 driver, lapping the track 64 times and giving Caterham some valuable data.
Fellow rookie Max Chilton had a tough first day, getting to grips with the new Marussia machine. He made progress in the morning but a trip to the gravel trap in the afternoon curtailed his day and meant he could only manage 29 laps, finishing five seconds off the pace and bending his new cars rear suspension in the process. Thankfully it was the first day of testing and not the last.
An interesting first day, but nothing to read in to. Button had a brilliant recovery to top the time sheets and the drivers where really pushing to find the limits of their new cars.
 |
| (c) F1 Fanatic |
Testing is always an exciting and important time for Formula 1. The teams have been working non-stop to prepare for the season ahead, whilst drivers have been off relaxing on holiday and burning the excess weight from Christmas. The sport never stops, even over what is called the "winter break", although it is barely a break at all.
Jerez is the scene of the first test of 2013, where for four days teams will lap continiously. Their main aim? For one, reliability and if not resolving those issues. It is better to retire at Jerez in comparison to Australia. Another is speed, we get our first glimpse of who is where. Of course it is difficult to judge but a running order can vaguely be picked out. The other is getting comfortable in the car, getting confident, used to the surroundings and how things work. Being prepared is crucial for starting the season on a high.
 |
| (c) Sky Sports F1 |
There were some new faces to full time F1 drivers, Giedo van der Garde and Max Chilton stepping up from their reserve driver roles of 2012. Both did well and got some mileage under their belt, but more on that later.
After the rather speedy launches of the Marussia and Caterham 2013 cars, the green light came on for the first winter test of 2013. By the days end, as the Spanish sun set, it was Button who ended the day on top.
The Brit completed a mere 37 laps on route to the top spot, with a best lap time of 1m18.861. He had a troubled start to the day after a fuel pump failure left him stranded on track after just three laps. It was the first red flag of the day and meant his MP4-28 spent much of the morning session in the garage.
However the afternoon session saw a dramatic change in fortunes for the Woking based team, as Button tore up and time sheets and moved up to third place. A late burst of speed saw him take to the top of the time sheets by a clear margin. However Jenson noted that he was happy the problem occurred at this stage of the 2013 season, and he still got some useful mileage under his belt.
The start of the session was very quiet and it took the whole morning to have a complete time sheet, due to numerous teams running system checks and aerodynamic tests. This data gathering is a necessity in Formula 1's computer driven guise, but more action is to come.
 |
| (c) Sky Sports F1 |
Mark Webber had a strong start to his 2013 campaign, eventually setting the second fastest time of the day. It was a relatively trouble free opening day for the Aussie, encouraging for the next few days of testing. However troubles can always arise, but the Red Bull team got 73 laps out of their challenger.
Romain Grosjean was next up for Lotus, showing that despite keeping the stepped nose they were still one of the teams to beat. Obviously testing can not be read in to but the Frenchman, who will turn from racing driver to Father later this year, ended the day a second down on Button after 54 laps. Paul Di Resta was next up in the Force India, who are yet to announce the Scot's team mate. He completed a mammoth 89 laps of the Jerez circuit, cementing the Silverstone based team as the busiest on the opening day.
Daniel Ricciardo continued to show the speed he revealed in the 2012 test, rounding out the top five. The STR8 is a stunning car, and Daniel drove well to finish the opening day 1.5 seconds down on McLaren's team leader. He completed 70 laps and was happy with his progress.
Felipe Massa will test the Ferrari F138 for the the next two days, giving the car over to the teams development driver Pedro de la Rosa for its final outing at the Jerez track. With no Alonso around, Massa shone with a trouble free first day. He showed some decent speed and ended the day sixth in the time sheets, 1.6 seconds off the pace but with 64 consistent laps of mileage.
Sauber's new signing Nico Hulkenberg was the first to drive on to the Jerez circuit when the green light appeared. He showed strong pace in the morning session but dropped back in the afternoon as the Swiss team took a different route. However 79 laps on the first day is an encouraging sign for him and his new team.
 |
| (c) Sky Sports F1 |
Nico Rosberg's opening run in the Mercedes W04 was far from straightforward. After 14 laps of consistent running he pulled off to the side of the circuit after part of his car set fire. It was a small electrical fire that created the flames, and created some stunning pictures for photographers. However it was not good news for Mercedes and they set to work, but decided to sit out the rest of the days running.
It was a difficult start, as new parts needed to arrive overnight. However the team are still confident, despite the problems. In contrast Pastor Maldonado had a relatively smooth opening day of testing. Unlike the Williams teams 10 rivals, they decided to bring their 2012 car to the first test. However they did debut their new livery, with more splashes of white, and the addition of a "vanity panel" to cover the stepped nose. 84 laps of running on the Pirelli tyres will be useful to the team, but you have to wonder if it will impact their season and preparations.
F1 rookies Giedo van der Garde and Max Chilton debuted their newly launched cars on track at Jerez. The 27-year-old had a good start to his first year as a fully fledged Formula 1 driver, lapping the track 64 times and giving Caterham some valuable data.
Fellow rookie Max Chilton had a tough first day, getting to grips with the new Marussia machine. He made progress in the morning but a trip to the gravel trap in the afternoon curtailed his day and meant he could only manage 29 laps, finishing five seconds off the pace and bending his new cars rear suspension in the process. Thankfully it was the first day of testing and not the last.
An interesting first day, but nothing to read in to. Button had a brilliant recovery to top the time sheets and the drivers where really pushing to find the limits of their new cars.
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