Pre-Christmas testing - McLaren
Team McLaren Mercedes completed its 2005 test programme today at the Circuito de Jerez with Juan Pablo Montoya and Pedro de la Rosa at the wheel. Since testing recommenced in Barcelona on Monday 28th November, Team McLaren Mercedes has completed 10 test days, three at the Circuit de Catalunya and seven at the Jerez track. Over 6,300kms have been completed in total, with approximately 5,120 on the new Mercedes-Benz F0 108S V8 engine.
Pedro had a very productive day, completing 118 laps, with a fastest time of 1m20.492 that put the Spaniard tenth on the timesheets. Juan Pablo was seventh, with a 1m20.164, and completed 49 laps. Juan Pablo had an engine failure on track shortly before lunch, and the team got him back out on track by 15:30 to continue his programme.
As with the previous two tests in Barcelona and Jerez, work for the team was focused on the continuing Mercedes-Benz V8 and Michelin tyre development process in the interim MP4-20Bs.
Juan Pablo and Pedro, who drove for two and three days respectively, were joined in Jerez by Gary Paffett, who ran on Tuesday. Between the three drivers, 443 laps and 1,922kms were covered in total this week.
Prior to today, there were only two small incidents at the test. Gary spun early on Tuesday, as a result of the cold temperatures that remained during all three days, however he kept his car on track and there was no damage. Juan Pablo had a minor software issue on Wednesday, which was rectified by the team.
In total this week, Juan Pablo completed over 382kms, Pedro put in 1,250kms, with Gary amassing 290kms.
Team McLaren Mercedes will continue the development process for MP4-21 at the McLaren Technology Centre, Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines in Brixworth, and in Stuttgart over the Christmas period. The team will return to the test track on Wednesday 11th January in Jerez.
Juan Pablo Montoya "During the pre-Christmas tests, we have been working on various engine, tyre and software development programmes and have got some good feedback overall. The last couple of days of testing this week have not always seen smooth running, however as we didn't go out until mid-morning yesterday because of the cold weather, there were also a lot of red flag stoppages. I had a small problem with the software on my MP4-20B, and then the issue today with the engine. I will be spending Christmas with my family at a ski-resort in Europe, and I am already looking forward to getting back to testing in early January and continuing to work towards the 2006 season."
Pedro de la Rosa "Since the first test on Monday 28th November, I have covered over 3,150kms in the Team McLaren Mercedes MP4-20B. We have completed the work allocated to the pre-Christmas running and have some positive results. The team will continue to work at the McLaren Technology Centre and Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines over Christmas, taking a lot of feedback from our running, and we will start to test again on Wednesday 11th January."
Gary Paffett "I've really enjoyed this opportunity to test with Team McLaren Mercedes, and the role I have played in the continuing development of MP4-21. It has been great experience for me, and will be beneficial for the future."
