First run on slicks for the Lotus T127
Finally the sun returned to Jerez after a torrential downpour last night left the local roads strewn with rocks, and the journey in and out of the circuit tricky for many. Heikki Kovalainen resumed driving duties, for the first time running the Lotus Cosworth T127 on slick tyres, and by the end of the day had completed 68 laps.
Mike Gascoyne, Lotus Racing Chief Technical Officer, gave his thoughts on the first dry day’s testing, saying: “A reasonably good day today and the best thing was getting our first dry running in. We had a small problem this morning with a clutch sensor but as we wanted to wait until conditions had dried up that suited us well. We concentrated on long runs and started to work with the two tyre types, which we obviously haven’t been able to do before, so overall good progress.”
Italy’s Jarno Trulli takes over tomorrow (Saturday) for the final day’s testing before the team decamps to Barcelona for the final F1 test before the season starts in earnest in Bahrain.