The ROKiT Williasm team would complete their first day of testing in week two of the pre-season testing. Both George Russell and Nicholas Latifi would share the driving but it was a day that again oiuld see the team affected by an engine issue that would limit their track time. Despite this the team would come away pleased that they were still able to complete useful work as they continue to understand the FW43.
ROKiT Williams Barcelona Test 26:02:2020 Day
One
Drivers: Nicholas Latifi,
George Russell
Chassis / Engine: FW43-01 / Mercedes-AMG F1 M11 EQ Performance
Location: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, 4.655 km
Weather: Moderate and dry
Dave Robson, Senior Race
Engineer: The Team has spent the last few days going over the data that
we collected last week, and this has allowed us to begin finalising parts of
the aero specification of the car. Today we collected more rake data early
in the day, which enabled us to complete that basic aero definition of the
car. With the track still in good condition, Nicholas was able to begin the
performance tuning runs shortly before 10:30am as the race engineers began
to explore the newly defined aero package. Unfortunately, the morning was
cut short by a PU oil system issue, requiring us to fit another new PU ready
for George’s running in the afternoon. Once George began his running the
conditions were not as favourable as in the morning, and so we were able to
spend some time understanding the behaviour of the car in the sort of
conditions that we will face throughout the season. By the end of the
afternoon we had made good progress and were able to spend the final 15
minutes completing pit stop practice. Although parts of the day were
frustrating, we nonetheless completed some very useful work, which sets us
up nicely for the final two days of winter testing. The fact that we managed
over 100 laps, despite changing drivers and the PU, is testament to both the
dedication and work ethic of our mechanics, but also the current nature of
Formula One generally..
Nicholas Latifi: Definitely this year is a big step
forward in terms of the feeling of the car on the track and in that way, we
are going in the right direction. As for the overall feeling in terms of the
on-track driving, I would say this morning was another good step forward.
For sure I would have liked to have a bit more track time and laps banked
heading into the first race, as our running was curtailed by an oil systems
issue. Tomorrow I definitely want to maximise the track time as it is the
final time I will get to drive the car before Melbourne.
George Russell: We tested a number of aero items today to
get a greater idea of the spectrum of our car from top to bottom. Some of
the changes we made were not as positive as others but definitely for our
understanding overall, it was constructive. Come the end of the day, the car
was more consistent and nicer to drive so we now need to look into the data
to understand why that was the case. Ultimately, that is what testing is all
about.
Pos. Driver Team Best Time Total Laps
1. R. Kubica Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN 1:16.942 53
2. M. Verstappen Aston Martin Red Bull Racing 1:17.347 84
3. S. Perez BWT Racing Point F1 Team 1:17.428 84
4. D. Kvyat Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1:17.456 61
5. P. Gasly Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1:17.540 25
6. A. Albon Aston Martin Red Bull Racing 1:17.550 29
7. L. Hamilton Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team 1:17.562 89
8. L. Stroll BWT Racing Point Formula One Team 1:17.787 43
9. V. Bottas Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team 1:18.100 90
10. S. Vettel Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 1:18.113 84
11. D. Ricciardo Renault F1 Team 1:18.214 53
12. C. Sainz McLaren F1 Team 1:18.221 46
13. C. Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 1:18.244 80
14. N. Latifi ROKiT Williams Racing 1:18.300 48
15. G. Russell ROKiT Williams Racing 1:18.535 59
16. R. Grosjean Haas F1 Team 1:18.670 107
17. L. Norris McLaren F1 Team 1:18.826 57
18. K. Raikkonen Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN 1:19.515 51
19. E. Ocon Renault F1 Team 1:21.542 74
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