Silv 3: Webber tops final day
Jaguar's Mark Webber headed the timesheets on the final day of testing at Silverstone as teams concluded their preparations for the back-to-back races in Canada and the US
Teams were thankful that the rain stayed away for yet another day as drivers continued to post lap after lap in a bid to gain as much data as possible not only for the next two grands prix in Montreal and Indianapolis, but for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July.
Webber - the man that every team seems to want for next year - completed 112 laps on his way to the top of the timesheets despite breaking his car in several places after losing it in the first part of Becketts.
Williams's Juan Pablo Montoya came close to matching the Australian's time as he carried out a tyre programme for the British squad. BAR-Honda's Jenson Button was third quickest behind the Colombian and also carried out a tyre test. He declared himself particularly happy with one of the French manufacturers' rubber compounds although refused to predict how he would fare in Canada.
Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello, who took over testing duties from team-mate Michael Schumacher yesterday (Wednesday), carried out long runs in the F2004 but still managed to set the fourth fastest time with consistently quick laps.
It is this consistency that the Michelin-shod teams crave and Montoya, Button and Cristiano da Matta (eighth) think they have found it in one particular tyre compound they tested today.
Fifth quickest was McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen who was in jubilant mood as he left the circuit following three solid days of testing in the heavily-modified MP4-19B.
"It's been good - the handling is much better which is good not just for me but for the team," he said. "We did lots of laps but we still have problems with the shortage of parts which causes a delay in repairs, but it's been good."
Renault duo Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso had another solid day's testing with less than two hundredths of a second splitting the two.
Williams' Antonio Pizzonia completed just 12 laps - his track time limited as he wasn't able to cover more than 50km - but he still finished the day ahead of the two Jordans.
Meanwhile, testing continued at Monza with Toyota's test driver Ricardo Zonta lucky to walk away from a spectacular high-speed crash on the Italian circuit. The Brazilian careered into the tyre barriers at the exit of the Parabolica curve damaging his car so badly that he was unable to continue the test. Sauber's Giancarlo Fisichella topped the timesheets on this the final day of testing.
Mark Webber Jaguar M 1m17.636s 112
Juan Pablo Montoya Williams-BMW M 1m17.791s 84
Jenson Button BAR-Honda M 1m17.856s 106
Rubens Barrichello Ferrari B 1m18.119s 84
Kimi Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes M 1m18.157s 102
Jarno Trulli Renault M 1m18.256s 68
Fernando Alonso Renault M 1m18.276s 95
Cristiano da Matta Toyota M 1m18.536s 97
Antonio Pizzonia Williams-BMW M 1m19.268s 12
Giorgio Pantano Jordan-Ford M 1m19.695s 36
Nick Heidfeld Jordan-Ford M 1m20.943s 68
Share Or Save This Story
What F1 history tells us about three-way title deciders
Top five Australian F1 drivers ranked: Brabham, Webber, Piastri and more
The man who should replace Webber at Porsche
WRC Canary Islands: Ogier heads Toyota 1-2-3-4-5 after dominant Friday
Why Marquez can only "survive" in Spanish GP despite return to full fitness
What Apple TV’s F1® coverage delivers for fans in the U.S.
What other tracks should return to the F1 calendar? Our writers have their say
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments