JEREZ, Spain – Mark Webber completed his first two days at the wheel of the INFINITI Red Bull Racing RB9 with a further 101 laps of the Jerez circuit today. After scoring the day's fourth-best time of 1:19.338, he emerged from the car saying he's confident that both the car and the team are heading in the right direction as the 2013 F1 season approaches.
"I think in terms of consistency it's great," he said. "I'm very happy with the car and myself. I might have bombed a few laps here and there, but I've done 170 or more, which is a good total for the first two days with a new car. Overall, it's been very good. The car gives me the confidence to push pretty hard and that's always an indication that you have something you can build on.
"The run plan this morning was pretty ambitious, but we have a lot of departments in the team looking for feedback, so it was important to get through the list. We accomplished most of it and that's all you can ask for. People always ask about the times being done up and down the pit lane but, to be honest, I haven't looked. We can only look at what we're doing, and so far we're satisfied with where we are.
"We've learned a lot more since yesterday and I'm sure that will continue tomorrow with Sebastian. I think we've put the car in a good position for him and hopefully he'll be able to push on from there. If you ask me where I think we are compared to this time last year, I'd say we're in a better position, but of course a lot of that is down to a lack of regulation changes."
Race Engineering Co-ordinator Andy Damerum added: "After a good start yesterday, I'd say we had an even more productive day today. We were able to get through most of the items on our agenda and focused on general car set-up work and aero-tests. We also managed to get through some background tests as well – making sure that everything is working as it should. The weather was ideal and, although the wind picked up in the afternoon, it didn't upset anything. I think Mark can be pleased with his first days with the RB9. We now have a lot of data to get through and some preparation work to get the car ready for Sebastian's first day in the car tomorrow."
JEREZ TEST – DAY TWO
Feb. 6, 2013
Driver: Mark Webber
Car: RB9
Laps: 101 laps
Best time: 1:19.338
Circuit length: 4.428km
Fastest lap: R. Grosjean (1:18.218)
INFINITI Red Bull Racing RB9 Makes Track Debut
Feb. 5, 2013
Just 48 hours after INFINITI Red Bull Racing's RB9 was unveiled in Milton Keynes UK, the new car took to the track at the Jerez Circuit in Spain today, at the first pre-season test of 2013.
With Mark Webber at the wheel, the RB9 completed 73 laps. Mark's best lap of 1:19.70 was the second quickest time of the day and left the Australian greatly encouraged ahead of his seventh season with the team.
Mark said: "It was pretty good. As Adrian said at the launch, there haven't been big changes to the regulations this year and the car is an evolution of the one we finished with last season, so there were no big surprises. I think most of the drivers will sit back tonight and think today's times were pretty competitive.
"It was actually like a Friday practice session in some regards. We started understanding the tires and there were a lot of positives," he added. "There's a bit of housekeeping we have to get on top of but, other than that, it's been encouraging. The car feels similar to last year's, so the main difference is the tires. With these tires you're always on your toes. It was good that we had consistent temperatures today, so we got a lot of information and feedback to analyze, which is all good. Generally though, the car feels pretty good, so I'm happy."
Commenting on the first day's work with RB9, Engineering Co-ordinator Andy Damerum said: "We had a very good day's running today. Being the first day of testing there's always a few nerves when the car goes out, but we had very few problems and Mark managed to get through just over 323km of running. We were able to get through about 90% of what was on the list for today. If I recall, this time last year we couldn't run in the morning because of fog, so this first day with the RB9 has been good. Tomorrow, we'll just crack on with the work load, which means more aero work and getting to know the tires more."
JEREZ TEST – DAY ONE
Feb. 5, 2013
Driver: Mark Webber
Car: RB9
Laps: 73 laps
Best time: 1:19.709
Circuit length: 4.428km
Fastest lap: J. Button
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