WilliamsF1 completes testing at Valencia


Nico Rosberg

By Andrew Hooper
February 4 2006

The WilliamsF1 completed their test programme at Valencia with Nico Rosberg conducting tyres testing for tyre supplier Bridgestone. Nico would finish the day third fastest. Joining Nico was Brazilian driver Joao Paolo de Oliveira, who was making his Formula One debut.

 
Valencia Test 03:02:2006 Day Four
 

The final day of testing at the Valencia circuit would see Nico Rosberg finish third fastest driving the new FW28. Nico's day was spent focusing on tyre testing for tyre supplier Bridgestone. Unlike previous days Nico was able to complete his programme without any mechanical failures. The only minor glitch was when his car ran out of fuel.

Joao Paolo de OliveiraJoining Nico was Brazilian driver Joao Paolo de Oliveira, who was making his Formula One debut with the WilliamsF1 team. He would use the teams interim FW27C. He would complete thirty two laps and would finish at the bottom of the times. Oliveira said after the test: "I am just stunned and I am so happy and I really thank the team for this chance,"

WilliamsF1 Technical Director Sam Michael:
“Today was the end of the first test for the FW28. It was a really good start for the new car, with no major problems that you might expect on a first run. We also completed a few aerodynamic tests and confirmed that everything on the new car is working as predicted by the wind tunnel. Nico finished mid afternoon today, as planned, after starting some aero and mechanical set-up work. We also found a couple of good directions from which we can get the best out of the Bridgestone tyres which we will now work on in time for the next test at Valencia.

João Paulo de Oliveira drove the FW27C for us today to put mileage on some of the engine and gearbox components. It was his first time in a Formula One car and he did everything well. The team now head to Jerez for a four day test next week with two FW28s, Webber, Rosberg and Wurz will all be on duty.”

Simon Corbyn, Head of F1 Race Engineering, Cosworth:
“The Cosworth CA2006 V8 experienced no engine installation or cooling issues when installed in the new Williams FW28. This is quite an achievement given the incredibly tight packaging and demonstrates how effectively the Williams & Cosworth engineers have been working together during the design process. We have not yet validated all the Bahrain GP specification components at the track, so we will therefore have some further engine reliability and performance updates to evaluate in Jerez next week.”

Alex Wurz:
“I had two very interesting days this week during which I was able to confirm some of the directions we want in terms of tyre development. Importantly, we worked on the electronic set-up of the traction control system and engine response. Now I can't wait to drive the new car and start working on that.”

João Paulo de Oliveira:
“Overall, I was very satisfied with today’s test. What I found most impressive was the car’s brakes, but they were also the hardest thing to learn as I’ve never done left foot braking before. The team made a few adjustments in time for my last run, which made it a bit easier. It was such a great experience and one I’d love to do again sometime.”

 
Pos Driver 	    Team 	   Best Time    Total Laps
1   F Alonso	    Renault (M)	   1:10.552	144
2   H Kovalainen    Renault (M)	   1:10.952	168
3   N Rosberg	    WilliamsF1 (B) 1:11.404	55
4   P de la Rosa    McLaren (M)	   1:11.667	96
5   N Heidfeld	    BMW Sauber (M) 1:11.797	89
6   R Schumacher    Toyota (B)	   1:11.851	77
7   R Zonta	    Toyota (B)	   1:11.934	115
8   R Kubica	    BMW Sauber (M) 1:12.219	89
9   J P Montoya	    McLaren (M)	   1:12.802	71
10  J P de Oliveira WilliamsF1 (B) 1:13.920	32

FACTS AND STATS:

Valencia Test Best Times 
Pos Driver		Team	Best Time Date
1   F Alonso	 Renault (M)	1:10.552  03.02.06
2   J Button	 Honda (M)	1:10.907  02.02.06
3   H Kovalainen Renault (M)	1:10.952  03.02.06
4   F Massa	 Ferrari (B)	1:11.284  02.02.06
5   N Rosberg	 WilliamsF1 (B)	1:11.404  03.02.06

Teams Testing KMs (since Nov 28, 2005)
Pos	Team		   Cumulative KMs
1	Honda		   15,115.95
2	McLaren Mercedes   14,284.55
3	Renault		   13,093.25
4	Toyota	 	   12,807.07
5	WilliamsF1	   8,969.635
6	BMW Sauber F1 Team 7,274.93
7	Red Bull Racing	   5,061.358
8	MF1	    	   2,683.368
9	Torro Rosso	   2,495.696

Top 5 Drivers Testing KMs (since Nov 28, 2005)
Pos	Driver		Cumulative KMs
1	P de la Rosa	5,869.164
2	A Davidson	5,301.724
3	J Button	4,940.229
4	R Zonta		4,705.872
5	J Trulli	4,590.736
7	N Rosberg	4,142.095
10	A Wurz		2,925.772
15	M Webber	2,472.446

 

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