F1: Webber Encouraged By Early RB9 Form

Formula 1

F1: Webber Encouraged By Early RB9 Form

Mark Webber set the second fastest time of the day in preseason testing...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted February 05, 2013 Jerez (ESP)

Mark Webber drives the Red Bull RB9 in preseason testing. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Mark Webber pronounced himself pleased with the new Red Bull RB9 after an encouraging opening day at Jerez for the team.

Webber set the second fastest time of the day, behind Jenson Button. The car ran reliably, with the team saying it got through “90 percent” of the planned workload.

"It was pretty good,” said Webber. “As Adrian [Newey] 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. 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.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 28th season as a racing journalist in 2012. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.