McLaren back at test track

Testing recommenced for Team McLaren Mercedes at the Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track today. Pedro de la Rosa and Gary Paffett will be present for the three day test in the south of France, driving an MP4-21 and interim MP4-20 respectively. The track was in the 3E-SC (Short) configuration, which is 3.8km in length.

Pedro's schedule for the week includes work on the front suspension and dampers, with more of a focus towards the end of the session on Michelin tyre work. Gary is continuing his Michelin selection and development programme, with work focused on the San Marino Grand Prix.

During the eight hour session, Pedro completed over 395km as he put in 104 laps of the French circuit. The Spaniard's fastest time of the day, a 1m05.028, put him in second position on the timesheets. Pedro conducted the majority of his running during the afternoon, as a fuel pressure problem required the team to complete repairs in the morning.

Meanwhile Gary covered 84 laps, equating to 320km in the interim MP4-20. A time of 1m05.534 saw him finish the day in fifth place. Gary had an engine failure on his interim car at the end of the session, however due to the timing, he had already completed his programme for the day. The V10 in Gary's car had already completed over 1200km.

The Team McLaren Mercedes test team will continue running at the Paul Richard HTTT tomorrow.