Hydraulic leak delays Sauber progress
Kamui Kobayashi was at the wheel for the fourth and final day of pre-season testing in sunny Jerez de la Frontera. After working on set-up, aero comparisons and tyre evaluation in the morning, a hydraulic leak in the afternoon caused him to stop on track with two hours to go. Kamui was able to put in another 18 laps in the final hour of the test day.
Including today’s 76 laps, the overall mileage for the new Sauber C31-Ferrari for the four days of testing in Jerez comes to 298 laps (1,320 km).
Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “Overall the results of the first test with the new C31 are promising. After we had all the initial systems checks behind us on day one, when Kamui covered 106 laps, we did a good deal of aero work and learnt a lot about the 2012 tyres. On the setup side we would have preferred to run a bit more in Jerez but this was only the first test and we will catch up in Barcelona.”
Kamui Kobayashi: “If I look at the whole picture I am happy with the first test. For sure we have found the right direction to go in. The car didn’t surprise us with any big issues, which allowed us to work on improvements straight away. We lost track time due to small problems and I want to thank the mechanics for all their work. Today especially they did a great job to get me out on track again. In the end I did 76 laps today which isn’t too bad. We have some ideas of what our next steps will be and I’m very much looking forward to the Barcelona tests.”
For the next test in Barcelona the provisional driver line-up is Sergio Pérez on duty for the first two days, 21st and 22nd February, and Kamui taking over for 23rd and 24th February.
Weather: Sunny all day, air -2-16°C, track 1-25°C
Chassis / engine: C31.02 / Ferrari 056
Mileage today: 76 laps
Fastest lap: 1:19,834 min in the morning (medium compound tyres)
