A lot of precious data from Jerez

Posted: 08.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Jerez de la Frontera, 8 February – The first test of the season for Scuderia Ferrari and the ten other Formula 1 teams came to a close today in Andalusia. Therefore one third of the 2013 testing programme is now completed: with Felipe Massa on the first three days and then Pedro De La Rosa on the final one the team completed an intense programme which will continue on track in two weeks’ time in Barcelona.Today, Pedro’s gearbox issue resulted in fewer kilometres but luckily in the afternoon the Spaniard was able to complete his workload. Tomorrow, there will be the usual debriefing with the engineers who followed the sessions from home and they will be joined by Team Principal Stefano Domenicali to go over the past four days of testing. At first glance, the data obtained confirms Massa’s first impressions who rated the F138 as an easier car to drive, more stable and better balanced compared to the F2012. Having said so, the solutions the team tested will require in-depth research, a task that went on for much of the test session and which will continue in Maranello and in the next test at the Catalunya circuit. For the time being, the direction in which to move forward seems very clear.In Jerez the car racked up a decent number of kilometres although they are never enough for the engineers and the work in the garage was never ending in the attempt to test the different technical solutions planned ahead of the test. There are areas that definitely need improving, but the first set-up changes made between Tuesday and Friday delivered positive results so the team can be optimistic. Nevertheless, it is paramount to keep the feet on the ground as every year the same rule applies: Felipe’s fastest lap of the week counts for little and one must be cautious as there are never accurate benchmark levels. Now the work must proceed quickly and calmly to improve the car and to ensure that reliability can also be counted on as a given, just as it was in 2012. Between now and Melbourne there is just over a month and before then come two sessions at Montmelò to prepare for the opening round as well as possible.

 

De La Rosa: “It was vital to get back on track”

Posted: 08.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Jerez de la Frontera, 8 February – A programme of two halves for Scuderia Ferrari on the last day of the Jerez test, the first session of the winter which saw the Maranello squad and the ten other teams working at the Andalusian track. Pedro de la Rosa’s debut at the wheel of the F138, in his role as test driver now that he has been brought in to join the Ferrari family, did not go quite as expected. There was a gearbox glitch which sidelined the car after it had done just two laps. After a long stop in the garage while the mechanics fixed the problem, the car was back on track to complete the afternoon programme, which was given over mainly to analysing various aerodynamic configurations and set-up tests, as well as the usual long runs.”All in all it’s been a positive day for me, I finally got a feel for the car and that will be very important when it comes to comparing the data with the simulator as we develop the car,” said the Spaniard. “We are not yet where we want to be on our simulation and there will be a lot of work to do, but that’s why I’ve been taken on and in my own small way I hope to do my best to contribute to the progress of the Scuderia. I had a lot of mixed feelings today: I was very excited to drive the car but when I got out after the first two laps I was not exactly happy. All my life I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this and to see it end after just a few corners was definitely not nice, especially because I wasn’t sure that we would be able to continue with the programme. But then the team did an amazing job and it was vital to get back on track given how few days are available to us.”De La Rosa eventually managed 51 laps on the final day, with a best time of 1.20.316. The quickest time was set by Kimi Raikkonen (1.18.148) in the Lotus, ahead of Jules Bianchi (1.18.175) in the Force India and Sebastian Vettel (1.18.656) in the Red Bull. Felipe Massa gets the prize for being quickest over the whole four days, his work at the wheel providing the Maranello crew with their first impressions of the new car and delivering valuable data for the coming session in Barcelona. The Brazilian’s best lap of 1.17.879 was set yesterday, on the last of his three days in the cockpit of the F138. His workload involved evaluating different exhaust configurations, endurance runs and a comparison of the various Pirelli tyres on offer.

 

De La Rosa makes his debut in Jerez

Posted: 08.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Circuit: Jerez Circuit – 4.428 km
Driver: Pedro de la Rosa
Car: Ferrari F138
Weather: air temperature 5/18°C, track temperature 6/23 °C. Sunny.Maranello, 8 February – Fourth and final day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit, in southern Spain, with Pedro De la Rosa making his first official track appearance for the team at the wheel of the F138.After work on getting him comfortable in the car was completed, Pedro then began driving on what would be a day of contrasting fortunes: on only his second installation lap, the Spaniard had to stop the car with a technical problem on the gearbox. The team then worked for the rest of the morning to put it right. The afternoon however was more productive, especially as the end of testing was put back by half an hour to make up for time lost when the track itself required some maintenance work. Pedro was thus able to complete his programme, which had been revised as a result of the long stop in the garage and which focused mainly on testing various aerodynamic configurations.The total number of laps completed was 51, with a best time of 1.20.316.Pre-season testing will resume at the Circuit de Catalunya, near Barcelona, from 19 to 22 February.

Time sheet:

Pos. Driver Team Time Laps
1 Raikkonen Lotus 1m18.148s 83
2 Bianchi Force India 1m18.175s +0.027 56
3 Vettel Red Bull 1m18.565s +0.417 96
4 Gutierrez Sauber 1m18.669s +0.521 142
5 Vergne Toro Rosso 1m18.760s +0.612 92
6 Hamilton Mercedes 1m18.905s +0.757 145
7 Perez McLaren 1m18.944s +0.796 98
8 Bottas Williams 1m19.851s +1.703 92
9 de la Rosa Ferrari 1m20.316s +2.168 51
10 Pic Caterham 1m21.105s +2.957 109
11 Razia Marussia 1m21.226s +3.078 82
12 Di Resta Force India 1m23.435s +5.287 49

 

Massa: “Three very important days”

Posted: 07.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Jerez de la Frontera, 7 February – Felipe Massa’s first encounter with the new F138 ended today at the Jerez circuit. At the first of three winter test sessions taking place on Spanish soil, Felipe got through a packed programme centred mainly on aerodynamic testing, analysing exhaust configurations and on a comparison of the various tyre types brought here by Pirelli.
“These were three very important days,” said the Ferrari man. “They were especially useful in the sense of finding the right direction for the team to focus on when it come to the development work between now and the opening round in Australia. We had a lot of items to test and the car went well, it was not difficult to drive and it seemed to me to be quite stable and balanced. Today, we fitted the soft compound tyres for the first time and I went faster than I had expected. The quick lap? It means nothing and while I’m pleased to have done a good time, that was not the priority: we must still concentrate on the car set-up and we will definitely be doing this during the next test in Barcelona. Several teams have very quick and well balanced cars and so I am one hundred percent keeping my feet on the ground.
”For tomorrow’s final day of testing, the F138 will be entrusted to Pedro de la Rosa, who, as from this year, is a test driver for Scuderia Ferrari. Given his role of development work in the simulator at Maranello, tomorrow’s session will be very important for the Catalan driver and for the whole team, giving both parties the chance to work on the correlation between the virtual and the real world.

1005km for Felipe Massa at Jerez

Posted: 07.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Circuit: Jerez Circuit– 4.428 km
Driver: Felipe Massa
Car: Ferrari F138
Weather: air temperature 3/18 °C, track temperature 5/25 °C. Sunny.

Third day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit, in southern Spain. For the third consecutive day, Felipe Massa was at the wheel of the F138, getting through the planned programme established before the start of the test, without any problems.

In the first part of the day, the Brazilian completed the work which began yesterday and from mid-morning onwards, moved on to a comparison of the various compounds supplied by Pirelli. Back on track after the lunch break, Felipe had a harmless spin and was thus able to end the day, concentrating on long run tests.

The total number of laps completed was 85, with a best time of 1.17.879.

Testing continues at this circuit tomorrow, with Pedro De la Rosa making his debut.

Time sheet:

P Driver Team Time Laps
1 Massa Ferrari 1m17.879s 85
2 Rosberg Mercedes 1m18.766s +0.887 148
3 Vettel Red Bull 1m19.052s +1.173 102
4 Raikkonen Lotus 1m19.200s +1.321 40
5 Vergne Toro Rosso 1m19.247s +1.368 85
6 Rossiter Force India 1m19.303s +1.424 42
7 Button McLaren 1m19.603s +1.724 83
8 Gutierrez Sauber 1m19.934s +2.055 110
9 Chilton Marussia 1m21.269s +3.390 78
10 Bottas Williams 1m21.575s +3.696 86
11 Pic Caterham 1m22.352s +4.473 57
12 di Resta Force India 1m23.729s +5.850 7

 

Second day of testing at Jerez

Posted: 06.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Circuit: Jerez Circuit– 4.428 km
Driver: Felipe Massa
Car: Ferrari F138
Weather: air temperature 6/22 °C, track temperature 7/28 °C. Sunny.Maranello, 6 February – Second day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit.At the wheel of the F138, Felipe Massa continued the work of acquiring data on the car’s behaviour which began yesterday. Also on the day’s programme was an assessment of various configurations of exhaust and some long runs.Felipe completed a total of 78 laps, the quickest in a time of 1.19.914.Felipe Massa: “Today, we concentrated 100% on the aerodynamic side and on the exhausts.In the morning, I didn’t even do a flying lap because we used the time available to do constant speed runs and to analyse various aerodynamic solutions. All the changes to the car took longer than planned, but in the afternoon, I managed to do three long runs which were very important in order to understand which direction we need to follow in the coming days.”Testing continues at this circuit tomorrow, again with the Brazilian driver on track.

 

Relentless work in Jerez

Posted: 06.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Jerez de la Frontera, 6 February – Work goes on relentlessly in the Scuderia Ferrari garage, with the F138 back in action for the second day of testing at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit, as all the teams entered in this year’s Formula 1 World Championship tackle their first four day test session. The afternoon was given over to aerodynamic testing and long runs, with Felipe Massa completing a total of 78 laps. A large amount of data has been acquired relating to the various exhaust configurations tried during the morning and this will now be analysed by the engineers, to add to what they learned yesterday relating to the car’s behaviour. Quickest today was Romain Grosjean in the Lotus with a time of 1:18.218, ahead of the Force India of Paul di Resta (1:19.003) and Daniel Ricciardo in the Toro Rosso (1:19.134) Felipe Massa was eighth quickest in the F138 with a time of 1:19.914, on a short time sheet that featured eleven other drivers. The Scuderia engineers are not bothered about lap times, preferring to concentrate on getting on with items on the job sheet, so as to plan the work for the remaining two days, with the Brazilian again at the wheel tomorrow.
Time sheet:

Pos. Driver Team Time Laps
1 Grosjean Lotus 1m18.218s 95
2 di Resta Force India 1m19.003s +0.785 95
3 Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1m19.134s +0.916 83
4 Webber Red Bull 1m19.338s +1.120 101
5 Hulkenberg Sauber 1m19.502s +1.284 99
6 Hamilton Mercedes 1m19.519s +1.301 15
7 Perez McLaren 1m19.572s +1.354 81
8 Massa Ferrari 1m19.914s +1.696 78
9 Maldonado Williams 1m20.693s +2.475 71
10 Rossiter Force India 1m21.273s +3.055 19
11 van de Garde Caterham 1m21.311s +3.093 88
12 Razia Marussia 1m23.537s +5.319 31

 

Massa: “First impressions are positive”

Posted: 05.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Experience counts and Felipe Massa is well aware of that, especially when it comes to the debut of a new Formula 1 car, when it’s that initial feeling that matters. Today, in the hands of the Brazilian, the Ferrari F138 got its first kilometres under its belt – 284 to be precise – during the opening day of a month of testing spent on Spanish soil. Felipe seemed calm and relaxed at the end of the day and that’s the impression he gave the journalists here in Jerez, as he told them he was pleased with the work the team had done. “The first impression is definitely a positive one,” maintained the Ferrari man. “We did not run as much as I had expected, but that’s normal when you are testing a new car. On a track like this where traction counts for a lot and the tyres feel it, I got a positive feeling as far as the balance of the car is concerned and I think that, especially at the rear, we are going in the right direction and it feels more solid. It’s definitely a different situation to last year, because the basis for this year is in much better shape. There is still a way to go before we understand the true behaviour of the car, but we are on the right road. There is still a great deal to do, as far as testing and development are concerned, but I am confident that this year, we will not lose time in understanding, as happened in 2012, what was the problem and how to solve it. Now we have a little more than a month to concentrate on the job, to be as well prepared as possible for the first race.”Scuderia Ferrari was sixth on the time sheet, but it’s always difficult to evaluate what that means during testing, because of the usual unknowns linked to fuel load and in this case, the fact it’s the very first day, when the work schedule can vary a lot from team to team. Tomorrow, Felipe will be back at the wheel for another busy session.

 

Jerez Test Session – Debut of the F138

Posted: 05.02.2013 Source: Ferrari

Circuit: Jerez circuit – 4.428 km Driver: Felipe Massa Car: Ferrari F138 Weather: air temperature 7/22 °C, track temperature 6/27 °C. Sunny.Maranello, 5 February – First day of testing in 2013 for Scuderia Ferrari, as the F138 made its debut with Felipe Massa at the wheel.The entire day was given over almost entirely to acquiring data relating to the behaviour of the new car: Felipe completed a total of 64 laps, the quickest in a time of 1.20.536.Testing continues at this circuit tomorrow, again with the Brazilian driving.

 

Green lights at Jerez

Posted: 05.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Jerez de la Frontera, 5 February – And we’re off again. This morning saw the start of the first day of testing with Felipe Massa at the wheel of the Ferrari F138, as it made its official track debut. Running at the Andalusian circuit began shortly after 9, when the light went green at the end of pit lane and the engine was fired up in the Ferrari garage prior to Felipe completing the usual installation laps. After a brief pause caused by a couple of red flags – the first courtesy of Button in the McLaren and the second down to Rosberg’s Mercedes – the team got on with its work, centred mainly on data acquisition relating to the handling of the car. By the time of the lunch break, the Brazilian had completed 47 laps, his fastest set in 1:21.024. At this point, Romain Grosjean gets the prize for the fastest lap, in 1:19.796.
Time sheet:

Pos. Driver Team Time Laps
1 Button McLaren 1m18.861s 37
2 Webber Red Bull 1m19.709s +0.848 73
3 Grosjean Lotus 1m19.796s +0.935 54
4 di Resta Force India 1m20.343s +1.482 89
5 Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1m20.401s +1.540 70
6 Massa Ferrari 1m20.536s +1.675 64
7 Hulkenberg Sauber 1m20.699s +1.838 79
8 Rosberg Mercedes 1m20.846s +1.985 11
9 Maldonado Williams 1m20.864s +2.003 84
10 Van de Garde Caterham 1m21.915s +3.054 64
11 Chilton Marussia 1m24.176s +5.315 29

 

F138, Chapter 1: Let the adventure begin

Posted: 02.02.2013
Source: Ferrari

Maranello, 2 February – “The Hopeful one,” the Red one, the F138 that was inaugurated yesterday on a foggy and emotional Maranello morning, in front of the Ferrari top brass, the media, partners and millions of Prancing Horse fans, has now begun its adventure. The first car to be built left Maranello this afternoon, setting off on the long trip to Jerez de la Frontera in Spain, scene of the first of just three test sessions this season. Some members of the team are already on site to await its arrival, before it tackles four days of testing from 5 to 8 February, when every element of it will be analysed under the Andalusian sun. Late tomorrow morning, the final members of the team will fly out of Bologna airport with motivation and just one aim packed away in their luggage: to work in the minutest detail to acquire valuable data relating to the car’s behaviour.

Ferrari F138 Presentation

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