The Honda Racing F1 Team were back on track in Spa this week as Formula One returned to Belgium after a one year absence from the calendar. Both Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello are pleased to be racing at the challenging Spa-Francorchamps circuit again, having tested the revised circuit here back in July.
The focus of this morning’s programme was a comparison of the data acquired during that test and the track conditions experienced today, as well as the usual tyre and set-up evaluations. Jenson and Rubens ended the session in 10th and 15th positions. This afternoon, the drivers worked towards their race set-up and ended the day in 14th and 15th places respectively.
Jenson Button
“I completed the programme but we are not quick enough and it seems the car is not where we need it to be to suit the demands of this circuit. We did expect this to be honest; the test here in July indicated that there was work to be done. We will now have to look at the data and see where we can bring improvements to the car ahead of tomorrow.”
Rubens Barrichello
“I spent both sessions analysing the tyre options, rear wings and running through the usual Friday set-up programme. I got the job done in terms of running through all the items but we are not quick enough and I’m still having problems in some of the corners. We have a lot of work to do before qualifying.”
Jacky Eeckelaert
Engineering Director
“Both test sessions ran faultlessly and we achieved our planned program. On this track, where aerodynamic efficiency is very important, we expect to have a more difficult challenge than in Monza. We prepared for the race with heavy fuel in the second session, using both prime and option tyres. Our pace is consistent but not fast enough. We now have to analyse all the data from today to come up with the best possible compromise for tomorrow.”
Free Practice Stats
Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Free Practice 1 Free Practice 2
Jenson Button 7 RA107-04 22 laps 01:49.330 P10 29 laps
01:48.919 P14
Rubens Barrichello 8 RA107-05 22 laps 01:50.264 P15 31 laps
01:49.364 P15
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