2011 F1 testing diary part two: Jerez

2011 F1 testing

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Virgin MVR-02

After the Valencia test and McLaren launch (see the first part of the diary) there’s little time to rest before it all kicks off again.

Cost-cutting has made ‘proper’ F1 launches increasingly rare. But Virgin, despite finishing last in 2010, put on one of the few proper unveilings of this year’s off-season.

It takes place at the BBC Television Centre and a group of F1 fans – some of them F1 Fanatic competition winners – get to join the usual media and sponsors to see the car first.

Although I understand the reasons why some teams choose to roll their cars out at the first test of the season, Virgin’s effort show that even the smaller teams can find a middle ground between the ‘bare minimum’ and the spectacle of McLaren’s MP4-26 unveiling in Berlin.

The following day the last two 2011 F1 cars appear. HRT’s F111 debuts without warning and Force India’s online launch of their VJM04 suffers a few technical hitches.

The next day I head back to Spain for the four-day test at Jerez. Thanks to Alan Baldwin of Reuters for tipping me off on a cost-effective and less stressful way of making the journey.

On Thursday morning I find myself standing at what the media instructions describe as an “ancient petrol station”, familiar from last year, to collect my passes.

Support for Kubica

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Jerez, 2011

I head over to the pit lane where McLaren are showing off their new car. It, along with almost every other car that day, carries the message “Szykbiego powrotu do zorowia Robert” – speedy recovery, Robert (the same message is now underneath the F1 Fanatic logo at the top of the page).

Inevitably, Kubica’s crash dominates conversations at the track. As the news about his condition grows more positive, inevitably the discussion turns to how Renault will choose as a replacement.

In the afternoon Eric Boullier talks to the media and makes two things clear: the team want an experienced driver to take Kubica’s place – which rules out any of their five reserves – and he does not regret letting Kubica do rallies in addition to F1 races: “If you put him in a cage you’d get him mad.”

Other drivers are eager to talk about what’s happened and express their support for Kubica and his choice to compete in events outside of F1. "We need to feel alive away from the track”, says Mark Webber.

I skirt disaster on Friday morning when I awake to discover two parking attendants in the process of winching my hire car into the air.

After much angry gesticulation about the lack of parking signs in the area, the pair relent and set down my Skoda Fabia, then drive off without demanding anything in the way of a fine. No way would I have got away that easily in London.

In the pits

Back at the track, there is much less media interest in this second test than the first. Some of the teams have scaled down their presence, too – Red Bull do not bring their enormous Energy Station as they did at Valencia, sharing instead their smaller but still plush joint motorhome with Toro Rosso.

That’s nothing compared to HRT, who aren’t even at the test.

Lotus and Renault are conspicuously cheek-by-jowl at the sharp end of the pit lane, making it impossible to overlook the clashing ‘Lotus’ brands on their lorries and motorhomes.

But on day three the atmosphere changes. The combination of the beginning of the weekend and the arrival of Fernando Alonso means the place is suddenly packed with fans.

And with Ferrari racking up more laps than anyone else they have plenty of opportunities to chant, cheer and blast air horns at their hero.

I make as many visits to the pits to see the cars up-close as I can. When the cars aren’t on the track the teams generally hide their car behind screens in the garages.

Toro Rosso, Jerez, 2011

There are exceptions. Lotus make good on their promise of being accessible by leaving their T128 in plain view – even as they strip it down chasing the various reliability problems that dog their test.

And Toro Rosso have their STR6 in view as it is winched up while adjustments are made to its radical floor.

My final visit to the pits on Sunday coincides with a spate of red flags. Among the cars returning on a flatbed truck are Jerome d’Ambrosio’s Virgin.

The interruptions are frustrating for the teams, but it offers a chance to see the cars being wheeled in and out of garages, which provides opportunities for photographers to snap away at their secret details.

Aside from a light shower on the final half-hour of the last day, the teams have the benefit of a warm, dry track throughout the test. While Williams set the fastest lap the stint times tell a different story (more on that tomorrow).

The test ends and the paddock is already being dismantled as I head back to Seville for my return flight. I share a row with crew members from Red Bull and Lotus, and there’s a sizeable Force India contingent as well.

D’Ambrosio and Red Bull reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo are also on the flight. In another sign of the era of cost-cutting, only Ricciardo has a priority boarding pass.

So the Virgin driver stands in line with the rest of us, and smilingly obliges a fan with a camera despite it being past midnight as we finally shuffle onto the plane home.

I hope you’ve enjoyed F1 Fanatic’s coverage of testing and the launch season so far. Special thanks to those of you who’ve helped contribute to the cost of hotels, flights, internet connections, photographers and more by making donations.

If you wish to contribute to F1 Fanatic you can make a donation here:

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The next test starts on Friday in Barcelona. I’m not going to be there but F1 Fanatic will have a reporter at the track on all four days, bringing more news and interviews from the drivers and teams.

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    Author information

    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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    29 comments on “2011 F1 testing diary part two: Jerez”

    1. After much angry gesticulation about the lack of parking signs …

      I remember when I was at the Hungarian GP, I got a parkingticket in the city. Luckily the officer was still in the area so I ran after him, yelling about the only two minutes I was parked.

      He ignored me at first, so I overtook him and looked him in the face. Again I explained the fact that I only was parked there for two minutes. He stared blankly at me.

      Only then I realised I was talking to an ordinary citizen… After apologising, I decided to not pay the ticket. Never heard anything again.

      1. Haha love this story.

        1. I threw my Tesco’s Pawn Mayo Sandwich at one of the horrible Traffic Wardens in London, it stuck to his face as he was giving me a ticket, worth every penny.

          Normally I’d abhor the above behaviour but this guy is hardcore in giving out tickets and towing cars.

          1. I dread to think what terrible diseases he contracted from that sandwich!

          2. Comment of the day :-)

          3. @Sush, we want pics for proof next time. ;-)

          4. haha sush i do love your stories!

      2. Well use a Dacia Sandero next time. Things magic lol.

        But seriously thanks for these diary entries Keith; theyre revealing, entertaining, and do much to put us fans at these far off locations.

    2. Are there photos of the HRT at Monza?

      1. Yeah – I can’t wait to see it :D

    3. Great article Keith! I am jealous…

    4. Nice roundup of the second test. And I am looking forward to your conclusions from what you saw and heard tomorrow.

      Great coverage again.

      I think the Twitter app really ads to it as well.

    5. “Szykbiego powrotu do zorowia Robert” – speedy recovery, Robert (the same message is now underneath the F1 Fanatic logo at the top of the page)

      I finally see it after a few refreshes. Must have been a caching issue for me. Ignore my tweet Keith.

      1. He may have written it before he modified the logo.

    6. He’s alright at this writing lark aint he? Our lad Keef!

    7. Actually, it should be “Szykbiego powrotu do zdrowia Robert”.

      1. I failed so hard ;)… “Szybkiego powrotu do zdrowia Robert”

        1. Good thing Keith got it right then!

    8. That logo is actually a really nice touch – kudos to Keith!

    9. Awesome logo update Keith! Very cool.

    10. awesome!

      good to see D’Ambrosio so willing for fans!

    11. You were driving a Skoda Fabia? After Kubica’s crash? Brave man!

      1. As far as my experience goes the guard rails are concrete blocks at most roads in spain, so they would probalby just smash the car instead of going through ;-).

    12. wow, i’m envious! i’m also reminded of:
      “do what you love, and you won’t work a day in your life.”

    13. Dolph_Lundgrenade
      15th February 2011, 23:46

      Over the past two seasons I’ve been thinking more on the equality of teams and while I am in favor of a more even competition I must say that I do like that not all the teams spend equal amounts of money and I bet you feel the same way.

      When the San Fransisco Giants won the World Series, it confirms for me that despite New York’s enormous salary costs, they can’t win because of the intangibles. In our case it would be innovation and good driving skills that could make all the difference. The fact is that I like the David and Goliath story more than David fighting Thomas.

      I hope that the sport doesn’t put the cap so low as to make the HRT’s budget the same as Ferrari and Mclarens for it would be a shame not to have some of the glamor that comes from these teams as much as it would be a shame not to have enjoyed Vettel’s performances in the Toro Rosso and RBR years ago; what made those powerful for the fan was the accomplishment against odds.

      I hope the FIA and FOTA can find some common ground while retaining the realities that the everyday fan faces in life; that, we are not all equal and our struggles against these inequities are what define us and not the other way around.

      Cheers

      1. Dolph_Lundgrenade
        15th February 2011, 23:49

        This comment stems from the “launch” section of the diary above in case you are wondering “why the short rant?”!

    14. Sounds like a fascinating couple of weeks for you Keith aside from the stress of flights and occasional car-towing! Glad you got it resolved though.

    15. A bit on the side, but about testing anyhow. This Crash.net report Karthikeyan was pleasently supprised with the handling of the HRT 2010 car (http://crash.net/f1/news/166687/1/karthikeyan_hrts_f1_2010_car_not_a_disaster.html).

      Not sure where they got it from him, but it figures. He heard a lot about how bad it was, and he has experience of a not that great handling Jordan (did it have power steering all year, or only from race 3?) so he probably expeced the worst!

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