Technical problem for Sutil
Adrian Sutil remained on driving duties today for the second day of the Force India Formula One Team's pre-German Grand Prix test at the Hockenheimring. Adrian continued yesterday's progress, with his best lap being the 5th quickest of the day, again just one second from Lewis Hamilton's fastest lap.
Unlike yesterday's rainy weather conditions, the day stayed dry for the running and Adrian was able to complete 97 laps as he worked through a programme of suspension, set-up and tyre comparison work. A technical problem late morning proved to be the only major issue of the day, allowing the team to finish its scheduled plan.
Giancarlo Fisichella will take over for the final day of the test tomorrow.
Dominic Harlow, chief race and test engineer: "This morning our programme included work on suspension and set-up for the race. We had a technical problem mid morning that halted our running for some time, but the team did a good job to get the car ready just before the lunchtime break so we could participate in the practice starts at the end of the morning. We continued our aero development programme in the afternoon, trying the wheel spinners we used for the first time in the Silverstone test two weeks ago, and evaluated the tyre compounds available for the race. The feedback was generally positive and, despite the setback in the morning and the gusty winds that still caused some problems, we were able to complete the scheduled programme."
Adrian Sutil: "It was a good day, and we were able to test several items. In the morning we had an issue with the engine and lost some time, and again the windy conditions made things difficult, but in the afternoon the balance came back. It was getting better and better and we could do some good lap times, so I was quite happy. At the end of the day we also tried a different evolution of suspension set-up, so we're getting some good experience with the new parts. We can still improve a lot, there is more potential in the car, so overall it looks quite positive for the race weekend."
