Jenson Button set fastest time of the last day of testing at Jerez. In dry sunny conditions Jenson set not only the fastest lap of the day but the fastest lap of the last 8 days of testing held at Jerez.
The most consistent weather conditions of the entire test allowed Jenson Button and the team to quickly complete a tyre compound evaluation program, balancing aero and mechanical set-ups to type of tyre on hand.
During the morning, Button completed a number of shorter runs on three separate tyre compounds, switching to longer runs during the afternoon, in order to evaluating the tyres durability.
At the end of the test Button was very happy with the feel of MP4-25 and felt confident within the car which was no doubt reflected in his fast pace.
Jerez Second Test - Day 4 of 4
| Position | Team | Driver | # Laps | Best Lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren | Jenson Button | 108 | 1:18.871 |
| 2 | Renault | Robert Kubica | 117 | 1:19.114 |
| 3 | BMW Sauber F1 | Kamui Kobayashi | 117 | 1:19.188 |
| 4 | Force India | Tonio Liuzzi | 80 | 1:19.650 |
| 5 | Mercedes GP | Nico Rosberg | 130 | 1:20.061 |
| 6 | Ferrari | Fernando Alonso | 137 | 1:20.436 |
| 7 | Toro Rosso | Jamie Alguersuari | 139 | 1:21.053 |
| 8 | Red Bull Racing | Mark Webber | 87 | 1:21.194 |
| 9 | Williams | Nico Hulkenberg | 137 | 1:21.919 |
| 10 | Virgin Racing | Timo Glock | 27 | 1:22.433 |
| 12 | Lotus Racing | Jarno Trulli | 141 | 1:23.470 |
Unlike McLaren, Virgin Racing continued to struggle, spending most of the day in the garage while the team tried to isolate the recurring hydraulic problem that they have been fighting with all week. Because of this problem Timo Glock only managed a meager 27 laps all day.
Lotus Racing the other new team participating at Jerez had a better day with Jarno Trulli completing 141 laps, the most of the day. Jarno’s lap times were less impressive finishing slowest of all teams today but Jarno and the team were very happy with the way their first test sesion has progressed.
Summing up his first drive of the Lotus Cosworth T127 Jarno enthused:
“It was a very positive day. I’m really happy about my first day testing with Lotus Racing and I was very lucky to have everything right on the car today with no major issues. We were able to put a lot of mileage on the car and get a lot of information out of it. I had the chance to start developing a real feel for the car and it’s good to be here.”
Mike Gascoyne, Lotus Racing Chief Technical Officer was also pleased with Jarno and the teams performance and summed up the Jerez test in the following manner:
“An excellent day today, concentrating on reliability and race pace. 141 laps from Jarno is a great effort when you consider it’s his first day driving this year and also a great effort from the team who worked all night to get the car prepared. Overall it’s been a very encouraging four days. The main aim of the test was reliability and over the last two days of dry running we have found some directions in set up that will enable us to concentrate on the pace of the car in Barcelona.”
