F1: Vettel Ends On Top in Jerez; McLaren and Ferrari Wrap Algarve Test

Formula 1

F1: Vettel Ends On Top in Jerez; McLaren and Ferrari Wrap Algarve Test

Teammate Buemi his nearest chaser.

RACER & autosport.com | http://www.racer.com/speedtv | Posted December 17, 2008 Jerez, Spain

Vettel continued Red Bull's domination in Spain. (LAT Photo)

Aboard a Red Bull Racing car, Sebastian Vettel continued the Red Bull stable's run of fastest testing times by leading the final day at Jerez on Wednesday.

After his teammate Sebastien Buemi – subbing the injured Mark Webber – had set the pace earlier in the week, today Vettel moved to the head of the times with a 1:16.617 lap, three tenths of a second quicker than the Swiss Toro Rosso candidate as they conducted setup work with next year's slick Bridgestones.

"We've had pretty smooth running at this test and have completed a lot of mileage before the end of the year," Vettel said. "I think we've done everything we could here, learning about the tires and next year's regulations and hopefully we will start next year with a car strong enough to challenge the big boys."

BMW's Robert Kubica was two seconds slower as he carried out a similar program. The team had planned to switch his focus to KERS development work in the afternoon, but a mechanical failure meant he returned to the non-KERS car for the rest of the day. The team's test driver Christian Klien was evaluating different variations of the KERS and felt BMW were getting to grips with the device.

"We made good progress today," Klien said. "We still have a lot of work to do on the KERS system. But the promising test results show we are moving in the right direction."

Williams also completed their 2008 test program at Jerez today with Kazuki Nakajima again behind the wheel. The Japanese completed 131 laps with a best time of 1:19.341 as he worked on the 2009 aero package and slick tires.

"Unlike last week when the weather was quite bad, I've covered a lot of mileage with the car, which was good for me as it's allowed me to get used to all the changes," said Nakajima. "In terms of what we've been testing, we've worked on set-up and the aero package for next year, but we mainly concentrated on the slick tires this week. It is quite interesting to drive on slicks."

Meanwhile in Algarve, McLaren and Ferrari concluded their 2008 testing programs at the Portuguese Portimao circuit today, with Pedro de la Rosa setting the best time of the day. The Spaniard set a best time of 1:28.993 in 74 laps of running as McLaren worked on their interim 2009-spec aerodynamic package and their KERS.

Luca Badoer was in action for Ferrari, completing 75 laps with a best time of 1:30.163. The Italian concluded Ferrari's final test of the year - and first at the new Algarve circuit - working on various set-ups with the 2009 slick tires.

Jerez F1 testing times – Wednesday:

1) Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing, 1:16.617, 107 laps
2) Sebastien Buemi, Red Bull Racing, 1:16.988, 92
3) Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 1:19.013, 100
4) Christian Klien, BMW Sauber, 1:19.066, 38
5) Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:19.341, 131

Portimao testing times:

1) Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren Mercedes, 1:28.993, 74 laps
2) Luca Badoer, Ferrari, 1:30.163, 75

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