WilliamsF1 completes 2006 Winter Test Programme


Alex Wurz

By Andrew Hooper - WilliamsF1
December 16 2006

The WilliamsF1 team completed their 2006 Winter Test Programme, with Alex Wurz carrying out the driving duties on the final day. Sam Michael reviews the teams progress in their recent tests which saw all four WilliamsF1 drivers share the testing roles.

 
Jerez Test 15:12:2006 Final Day
 

The final day of testing for the WilliamsF1 team would see Alex Wurz return to the driving duties, replacing Kazuki  Nakajima. Alex would finish the day in thirteenth place with a time of 1m:21.370.

WurzBut for Alex his time on the track would be cut short by mechanical problems with his twice during the morning. Both times it would see the red flag brought out.

This three day test would see the end of the WilliamsF1 2006 test programme. The team will return to testing in the middle of January 2007.

WilliamsF1 Technical Director Sam Michael commented on the end of the teams 2006 test programme. He said: “Today marked the end of the 2006 testing programme for Williams. The test team will now have a good break over Christmas before starting again on 16th January 2007 in Jerez. We started testing back in September with the FW28B car, which is a modified FW28A with the Toyota engine and our 2007 seamless gearbox. This car has completed over 6,500kms and no fewer than three complete on-track race simulations as part of our plan to significantly improve reliability in 2007.

Sam MichaelIn addition to reliability, we have been working hard on understanding the changes in the tyres that Bridgestone are now supplying, and there are no untoward surprises. They are quite consistent and easier to manage, which is helpful when trying to evaluate different set-up changes from a stable baseline.

We have had all four of our drivers working during this period with Nico, Alex, Narain and now Kazuki driving. Kazuki performed exceptionally well in his first Formula One test, showing he was well prepared for it. This week in Jerez he completed more than 840kms in two days, setting consistent lap times and experiencing no physical problems in the car. I'm really impressed to see that in someone driving an F1 car for the first time, and on that basis believe he has a bright future."

  
Pos Driver 	  Team 		Best Time Best/Laps
1   H Kovalainen  Renault F1	1:19.106  39 / 92
2   L Hamilton    McLaren	1:19.496  16 / 100
3   F Alonso	  Renault F1	1:19.745  89 / 95
4   G Fisichella  Renault F1	1:19.789  72 / 110
5   J Rossiter 	  Honda		1:19.816  31 / 87
6   R Kubica  	  BMW Sauber	1:19.885  12 / 127
7   L Badoer 	  Ferrari	1:19.886  12 / 38
8   V Liuzzi 	  Red Bull	1:20.184  64 / 72
9   M Andretti	  Honda		1:20.471  47 / 65
10  S Vettel  	  BMW Sauber	1:20.777  18 / 117
11  T Sato 	  Super Aguri	1:20.823  41 / 115
12  M Gene	  Ferrari	1:21.018  84 / 99
13  S Bourdais	  Toro Rosso	1:21.251  29 / 101
14  A Wurz   	  WilliamsF1	1:21.370  29 / 62
15  C Klien  	  Honda		1:21.531  2 / 3
16  S Speed   	  Toro Rosso	1:24.124  12 / 13

Jerez Test Top 5 Best Times 
Pos Driver	 Team	    Best Time  Date
1   P de la Rosa McLaren    1:19.085   14.12.06
2   H Kovalainen Renault F1 1:19.106   15.12.06
3   J Trulli     Toyota     1:19.456   14.12.06
4   L Hamilton   McLaren    1:19.496   15.12.06
5   J Rossiter   Honda      1:19.537   15.12.06


Williams’ Jerez Test Data File  
Team total 1,115.856kms
Driver              Total  Best     Total  Total 
	            Days   Time     Laps   kms
Alex Wurz           1      1:21.370 62     274.536
Nico Rosberg        -      -        -      -
Narain Karthikeyan  -      -        -      -
Kazuki Nakajima     2      1:20.443 190    841.32

Cumulative Testing Data File (since Nov 28, 2006)
Team total 3,042.133kms 
Testing days, total 9
Testing car days, total 9
Alex Wurz          936.197kms 31%
Nico Rosberg       819.18kms 27%
Narain Karthikeyan 370.16kms 12%
Kazuki Nakajima    916.596ms 30%
Testing Barcelona 1,031.821kms 34%
Best WF1 test time Barcelona (NK) 1:18.087 30.11.06
Testing Jerez 2,010.312kms 66%
Best WF1 test time Jerez (NR) 1:19.937 7.12.06
Testing Valencia 0kms 0%
Best WF1 test time Valencia - -
Testing Vallelunga 0kms 0%
Best WF1 test time Vallelunga - -
Testing Silverstone 0kms 0%
Best WF1 test time Silverstone - -
 

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