F1: Bianchi Still On Top As Magny-Cours Test Concludes

Formula 1

F1: Bianchi Still On Top As Magny-Cours Test Concludes

Jules Bianchi remained atop the time sheet for Ferrari as Young Driver testing wrapped up Thursday in France...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted September 13, 2012 Balen (BEL)

Jules Bianchi logged 138 laps for Ferrari on Thursday at Magny-Cours. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Jules Bianchi was fastest again for Ferrari as the three-day Young Driver test came to a conclusion at Magny-Cours.

Rain early in the day upset the schedule for all three teams present, although the track dried later on.

“In the morning, I did a few laps to get a feel for the car on the intermediate tires,” said Bianchi. “And even though there was not much grip, it was no bad thing to get some experience in the wet, after two days of dry testing. After a few hours the track dried and we carried on with our program, centred mainly on aerodynamic measurement and setup evaluation.

“I feel I learned a lot from this test, and I think the work was constructive for me and for the team. We tried to improve the balance of the car and looked at some things that could be useful in the upcoming races.”

Venezuelan GP driver Rodolfo Gonzalez was second fastest after taking over the Force India that Bianchi drove Wednesday. He has already tested for Lotus/Caterham on several occasions.

“Today has been a great experience,” he said. “The conditions were quite difficult to begin with because of the wet start to the day, but it was good to try out the wet and intermediate tires. The other main task was getting used to the control systems and building my speed and feel for the car.

“I’m quite happy with my pace today, although I think there was more to come because it was my first time driving at Magny Cours and my first time in the car. The team did a great job of making me feel welcome and comfortable, and I really hope to get another chance to drive a Formula One car soon.”

Meanwhile, Kiwi Brendon Hartley, dropped by Red Bull a few years ago, finally had another chance to sample F1 power when he drove the Mercedes W03. It was in large part an opportunity for him to get a good reference for his work in the Mercedes simulator.

“The track was quite wet this morning so we lost some time but, once it had dried out, we were able to get on with the test program, using mainly the hard tire,” said Hartley. “It was a successful day for both me and the team, and we completed the program, despite the weather.

“I'm happy with my performance and pleased that it only took a couple of runs before I was on the pace, as it's been three years since I last drove a Formula One car. I'm very grateful for the experience and really enjoyed working with the team today.”

Unofficial Thursday test times from Magny-Cours:
1. Jules Bianchi, Ferrari, 1m 16.985, 138 Laps
2. Rodolfo Gonzalez, Force India, 1m 18.018, 79 Laps
3. Brendon Hartley, Mercedes, 1m 18.671, 87 Laps

Adam Cooper notched up his 27th season as a racing journalist in 2011. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.