More than 100 laps for Force India VJM05
Daniel Ricciardo had the honours at Toro Rosso to make the first runs with the new STR7. He said the SR7 is an enjoyable car to drive, and with only minor problems throughout the day he could complete 57 laps on the car's debut.
Sahara Force India’s winter testing programme got underway today as the team made the most of warm and sunny weather conditions in Jerez, Spain. Paul Di Resta was behind the wheel as the team started systems checks, data collection and set-up work.
Paul Di Resta:
“A good start to our winter test programme with 101 laps completed, which allowed us to get through all our objectives and a bit more. The baseline balance felt pretty good and the car performed consistently over the longer runs, which was useful for collecting the data we need. So I think we can be positive heading into tomorrow and the next three days will be interesting as we have more test items to evaluate. On a personal level it’s also nice to spend such a busy day in the car to shake off the rust and assess my fitness level.”
Andrew Green, Technical Director:
“To complete over 100 laps on the first day of testing is the ideal way to begin our week in Jerez. We made good progress with the job list and managed to complete all the objectives set for the day. We ran on the new 2012-spec hard and medium Pirelli tyre compounds throughout, which will help give us some consistency when analysing the data tonight. As usual, Paul’s feedback was excellent and we’re starting to get a good idea of the set-up direction we should take for the coming days.
“Jules will be in the car tomorrow morning so the priority is to get him comfortable and up to speed quickly. We will also continue with more of the work we started today and try to get as many miles on the car as possible.”
Tomorrow morning Jules Bianchi will get his first taste of the VJM05, before Paul takes over in the afternoon.
Chassis: VJM05-02
Laps: 101 laps
Mileage: 447km
Fastest lap: 1:19.772
