Sutil continues tyre tests for Force India
Adrian Sutil was back on duty for the Force India F1 Team on the final day of the first pre-season test in Valencia, Spain. The German completed more than 100 laps with the VJM03, the first time he has driven the car since the tyre test in Abu Dhabi last November.
As with Paul Di Resta and Nico Hülkenberg over the previous two days, Adrian's programme was focussed principally on collecting further data on the performance of the Pirelli tyres under different set-ups and fuel loads. In a productive session, Adrian posted the second quickest time of the day, a 1:13.201 behind the Lotus Renault GP car of Robert Kubica.
The team will now move to Jerez for the second test next week from 10 - 13 February, where the VJM04 will be run for the first time.
Adrian Sutil:
It felt good to be in the car again after a few months away! Everything went pretty smoothly, as we expected with the VJM03, so we could complete the work we wanted to do. Paul and Nico had collected a lot of data on the tyres in the previous two days, so my aim today was to continue this work on alternative set-ups and fuel loads. We got all the information we needed and I feel like we understand the tyre performance pretty well now. Having got back into the car again I now can't wait to get my first taste of the VJM04 next week in Jerez.
Dominic Harlow, circuit engineering director:
During the final day's testing in Valencia Adrian got a chance to compare the different tyres, but also looked at some set-up alternatives, brake material and the range of weight distribution available to us. It was another productive day, and now we shift our focus to the VJM04 for the roll out next week, which everyone in the team is tremendously looking forward to. The lap times today are interesting when you consider the technical differences between 2011 and 2010 cars like the VJM03, and relative levels of downforce, but of course we must be careful not to read too much into them.
Testing data
Driver: Adrian Sutil
Track: Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo, Spain
Best lap time: 1:13.201
Laps completed: 117
Kilometres completed: 459km
Air temperature: High of 17 C
Track temperature: High of 29 C
Weather: Bright and sunny
