OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Barcelona, Spain, Mar 12, 2011
The final day of pre-season testing for the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team took place at the Circuit de Catalunya today with Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg driving the MGP W02. Track conditions were very wet throughout the day.
- Michael completed a number of one-lap runs to try out the Pirelli wet tyres for the first time
- Michael and the team then worked through race weekend scenarios including a grid procedure simulation
- Nico took over just before lunch and followed a similar programme during the afternoon session
- After 15 days of pre-season testing in Valencia, Jerez and Barcelona, the team have completed 5759 kms
- 5759 kms of running equates to just under 19 race distances
- Four Mercedes-Benz FO108Y engines have been used during the four pre-season tests
- The team has completed 35 pit stops at the track with an additional 200 pit stops back at the factory
Michael Schumacher: “It was good to complete a few laps out there this morning and try out the Pirelli wet tyres. There was obviously a limit to what we could achieve, but we made good use of the time by working through our race procedures. It’s been a good week here in Barcelona and we’re certainly happy with our position going into the first race of the season.”
Nico Rosberg: “It was tricky out there today; there wasn’t a lot of grip, but it was really useful to get the experience on the Pirelli wet tyres. We have made a lot of progress over the four tests this winter and it’s really nice to see that things are going in the right direction. We are on the up for sure, and all credit to the team for getting the upgrades on the car and, most importantly, to see that they are working as expected.”
Ross Brawn: “We’ve had a very productive test in Barcelona working on the final specification of the MGP W02 for the first race of the season in Australia. Our upgrade package has performed as we expected, however Formula One continually moves forward, and as always, we will keep looking for more performance. We are happy with the structure that we applied to our pre-season testing programme, culminating in a good quantity of miles, and the car that we wanted to produce by the end of this test. Both drivers and the team have achieved a good amount of work for the new season in terms of race weekend simulations and it is now down to the final preparations for the first race. Then we will really see where we stand and how we have to react. On a different note, we have been wrapped up in our intense programme here, but our hearts and minds go out to the people of Japan, who are great supporters of our sport, in this time of tragedy.”
TIMES (Please note all timings are unofficial and correct as of 17:00hrs CET)
* Official photo and report courtesy of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS *
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