Good test for Red Bull despite technical problems

The desert is not usually regarded as an ideal venue for staging a Dress Rehearsal, but that's more or less what this six day session at the BahrainInternational Circuit of Sakhir represents, as it is the last chance to get everything sorted out prior to the season opener in Melbourne. To continue the theatrical theme, we now have a two day Intermission (ice cream is being served in the foyer) before the final three days get underway on Tuesday.

For Red Bull Racing, work continued on development of RB3: set-up, assessing engine and ancillary cooling in the hotter conditions afforded in this part of the world; testing brakes on one of the toughest tracks in terms of brake use, looking at systems reliability, software and evaluating the two types of tyre that Bridgestone will supply for the race here in mid-April. "On the first day, both cars lost some track time with a technical problem, but generally over the three days, we made good progress, culminating in both David and Mark completing the equivalent of a race distance each today," said Head of Race and Test Engineering, Paul Monaghan. "David also posted some competitive times, while Mark was working on different aspects of the car's performance. As far as cooling and brakes are concerned, we look in good shape and, although we still have some reliability concerns, I think we can sort these out before tackling the next three days of testing here."