F1: Grosjean Tops Times On Final Day In Mugello

Formula 1

F1: Grosjean Tops Times On Final Day In Mugello

The Lotus of Romain Grosjean sets the pace as Formula One testing wraps up in Italy...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted May 03, 2012 Scarperia (ITA)

Romain Grosjean feels that the Enstone based team is poised for a podium showing soon. (Photo: Getty Images)

The three-day Mugello test came to an end Thursday with Romain Grosjean again topping the times for Lotus, the Frenchman’s afternoon mark pipping the best lap set by Sebastian Vettel in the morning.

Twelve drivers were in action Thursday, with Paul Di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg sharing the Force India. Six teams managed to complete over 100 laps, and two others only just missed that mark. Caterham and Heikki Kovalainen topped the distance list with 139 laps.

Red Bull said that it had focused on aero testing and that the test had been productive.

“It’s been a useful couple of days and I’ve enjoyed the track a lot,” said Vettel. “As usual, we now have a lot of data to get through, and that will take some time. We tried a few things and the results look encouraging; it’s always difficult to tell whether we improved and by how much, but we got some good laps and some good information.”

Behind Grosjean and Vettel, Fernando Alonso gave Ferrari some encouragement with the third-fastest lap. However, it was a mixed day for the Maranello team as Alonso crashed shortly after a major update kit was fitted. Damage was confined to the older parts at the front, but the team lost over two hours with repairs.

Daniel Ricciardo was fourth fastest for STR, and was pleased with progress.

“A good day with a high mileage, getting through all our program, which is always your first target at a test,” said the Aussie. “With new parts you always hope they will deliver a big improvement, but the reality is that we must now look at the data to see where we really are. Certainly, from the cockpit I was happy with the feeling I had from the car and I really enjoyed driving this beautiful circuit again.”

Sergio Perez was fifth for Sauber, running new aero parts, while Nico Hulkenberg was sixth for Force India. He finally got out after lunch, and managed to squeeze in 55 laps.

“I think we have learned quite a lot today, and it’s a good way to end the test with a busy afternoon,” said the German. “There was a lot to get through, but the main priority was on understanding the car we have here and making sure we feel ready for Barcelona. There’s a lot of data to go through before we get there, and we also have to look at how the different tire compounds behaved, but overall I’m pleased with the day’s work.”

Williams lost a lot of time with an electrical problem, and after completing only 63 laps Pastor Maldonado was seventh fastest.

Mercedes focused on tire management, and Nico Rosberg – eighth after running 129 laps – said it was a valuable exercise: "It has been a good testing program for us here in Mugello, and I have been able to complete a lot of mileage in my Silver Arrow around this amazing track. Today, we learned a lot about tire management, and this should help us at the next race in Barcelona. There is still a lot of work to do, of course, and we do need to improve our car in fast corners, but overall I am pleased with the progress that we have made here this week."

Unofficial Thursday test times from Mugello:
1. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1:21.035, 66 Laps
2. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:21.267, 106 Laps
3. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1:21.363, 98 Laps
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:21.604, 117 Laps
5. Sergio Perez, Sauber, 1:22.229, 118 Laps
6. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, 1:22.325, 55 Laps
7. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:22.497, 63 Laps
8. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:22.579, 129 Laps
9. Oliver Turvey, McLaren, 1:22.662, 99 Laps
10. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:23.002, 34 Laps
11. Heikki Kovalainen, Caterham, 1:23.169, 139 Laps
12. Timo Glock, Marussia, 1:23.466, 110 Laps

Unofficial aggregate test times from Mugello:
1. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1:21.035, 163 Laps
2. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:21.267, 172 Laps
3. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 1:21.363, 144 Laps
4. Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, 1:21.603, 135 Laps
5. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:21.604, 139 Laps
6. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:21.997, 78 Laps
7. Sergio Perez, Sauber, 1:22.229, 118 Laps
8. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:22.257, 106 Laps
9. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, 1:22.325, 55 Laps
10. Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso, 1:22.422, 97 Laps
11. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:22.497, 63 Laps
12. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:22.579, 178 Laps
13. Oliver Turvey, McLaren, 1:22.662, 129 Laps
14. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:23.002, 48 Laps
15. Heikki Kovalainen, Caterham, 1:23.169, 139 Laps
16. Michael Schumacher, Mercedes, 1:23.404, 149 Laps
17. Timo Glock, Marussia, 1:23.466, 147 Laps
18. Charles Pic, Marussia, 1:23.982, 91 Laps
19. Jerome D’Ambrosio, Lotus, 1:24.048, 40 Laps
20. Vitaly Petrov, Caterham, 1:24.312, 112 Laps
21. Gary Paffett, McLaren, 1:24.480, 63 Laps
22. Bruno Senna, Williams, 1:24.842, 100 Laps
23. Jules Bianchi, Force India, 1:25.475, 19 Laps
24. Rodolfo Gonzalez, Caterham, 1:27.197, 35 Laps
25. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:29.179, 28 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.