28 November: Formula 1 Testing - Barcelona - Day 1
First day of
testing at Barcelona with only McLaren Mercedes and BMW Sauber present. McLaren has
two drivers on duty (Alex Wurz and 2005 DTM Champion Gary Paffett) while BMW Sauber had one driver on duty (Nick Heidfeld). Weather
conditions were sunny but cold with track temperatures reaching a maximum of 17 degrees Celsius.
Gary Paffett set the fastest time of the day with a
1:20.586 followed by
Alex Wurz and Nikc Heidfeld. Gary Paffett also covered the most number of laps with 57.
All three drivers ran in
interim cars fitted with 2.4 V8 engines.
Alex Wurz' running was affected by a transmission problem followed by a hydraulics
problem. He only managed 10 laps. Nick Heidfeld's run was cut short after the BMW engineers decided to switch off the engine
early.
Testing continues tomorrow with Williams, Toyota, Red Bull and Toro Rosso joining the test. Toyota will be the first
team to run their 2006 F1 contender.
