Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi was quickest on day two of the latest Formula One group test at the Jerez circuit in Spain.
With the 10 teams present able to enjoy plenty of running after the rain which fell on Wednesday, the Japanese driver topped the timesheets with a time of one minute 19.950 seconds around the 2.751-mile circuit.
Kobayashi was one of five drivers to rack up over 100 laps and set his time late in the day to beat long-time pacesetter Sebastien Buemi.
Buemi was less than a tenth off Kobayashi’s pace after completing 121 laps in his Toro Rosso. Sky Sports
World champion Jenson Button continued to get to grips with his new McLaren, posting the third-quickest time, half-a-second down on the benchmark after concentrating his efforts on aerodynamic mapping and variable fuel-load runs.
Button’s stopped his car out on the circuit when a warning light came on in the cockpit late in the day but the team later confirmed it had just been a precautionary measure.
A hydraulic leak cramped Nico Hulkenberg’s efforts early in the day but the German rookie recovered to post the fourth-fastest time for Williams, while Vitantonio Liuzzi was fifth for Force India.
“Today was quite a difficult day as we had some technical problems, but I’m still feeling positive about the car,” said Hulkenberg. The Press Association
Seven-time champ Michael Schumacher of Mercedes GP was sixth. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, a two-time winner, was seventh after 129 laps. The three drivers focused on long runs as the damp track dried up over the course of the day.
“A new car, a new team and new conditions; therefore our first goal has to be to make the car reliable,” Schumacher said. “Days like today help massively in that respect.”
Renault’s Robert Kubica was seventh, while Red Bull continued its first test session with Mark Webber finishing ninth.
“It’s been a very productive two days. We’ve had a few little niggles here and there with reliability, but despite that we’ve managed to complete quite a few laps with the new car,” Webber said. “I’d say we’re off to a pretty solid start and we’ve got a great base to build on.”
New F1 team Virgin Racing had another bad day, losing part of a front wing for Timo Glock to complete 11 laps after having finished only five Wednesday. The Canadian Press
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