Fauzy returns to test action

Just two days after its double finish in the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend, the Etihad Aldar Spyker Formula One Team took to the track again in the first day of a four-day test at the Circuit de Castellet Paul Ricard in the south of France.

Running on the shorter twistier track, the team prepared for the forthcoming Monaco Grand Prix by evaluating set-ups, brakes and the soft Bridgestone Potenza tyres. As part of the team’s continuing Young Driver Development Programme, Fairuz Fauzy completed driving duties for the team, putting in 74 laps with a best time of 1min 09.43.

Adrian Sutil will drive tomorrow morning, before Christijan Albers takes over in the afternoon.

Dominic Harlow, chief race and test engineer "The day's programme concentrated on preparing for Monaco using the short track layout at Paul Ricard. Fairuz ran through a combination of set-up and brake system tests along with some set-up solutions appropriate to the demands of Monaco. The windy conditions made performance testing tricky, but we were pleased with the progress especially considering that set-ups that work well in Monaco are not always what are needed for a fast lap time on the smoother track surface here. Overall we were pleased with how the first day went and Fairuz did a thorough job."

Fairuz Fauzy "Today was a good, positive session. We went out just before lunch and did 10 laps to check the balance of the car, then focussed on getting a good set-up for Monaco in the afternoon. We put some new tyres on, but unfortunately I had a small problem on my quickest lap so the time isn’t really representative of the progress we made. Our pace over the longer runs was pretty good - quicker than the Toro Rosso cars – and much better when we fitted new brakes, so that’s encouraging for the team. I hope Adrian and Christijan will find the car much better when they take over tomorrow."

Fast facts
* This is the third time Fairuz Fauzy has tested for the team following his pre-season outings in Valencia and Barcelona
* In addition to his testing duties, Fairuz is racing in the World Series by Renault. In the season opener at Monza, the Malaysian ran as high as fourth in the first race, however finished 12th and later 11th in the second race of the weekend
* The team will be using the F8-VII/01 chassis for all four days of the test