Perez and Bianchi complete Ferrari test

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Sergio Perez did his first laps at the wheel of an F1 Ferrari

Sergio Perez and Jules Bianchi drove Ferrari’s 2009 F1 car at Fiorano today.

The Sauber driver did 46 laps with a best time of 1’00.650 in the F60.

Perez, who will remain at Sauber in 2012, said: “This was a really special day for me.

“I want to thank Ferrari for giving me this chance to improve and learn, given the limited number of testing opportunities during the year.

“Driving a Ferrari was a dream for me and it’s also important for my career, learning with a team like this and experiencing a different approach to the work.

“I think there is room for me to do well where I am and that’s my current target. It’s impossible to say how things will go and my dream is to become world champion and it would be nice if it could happen with a team like this one.

“I have got a lot out of this time with the Ferrari Driver Academy. The work on the simulator, the meetings with the engineers are all things that will help me over the rest of the season and in general in the future.”

Bianchi, who finished third in this year’s GP2 championship, did 70 laps and set a best time of 1’00.213.

He said: “We did a lot of laps and once again it was a very useful experience for me. These laps all count a lot towards the future I’d like to have in Formula 1.

“Now, I’m looking forward to the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi and it will be very interesting to go from the 2009 car to the 2011 one, as it will be a good opportunity for me to try elements like DRS and KERS for the very first time.”

The test was overseen by Ferrari Driver Academy Head Luca Baldisseri.

“Today we followed two different programmes with Perez and Bianchi,” he said.

“Sergio impressed, despite this being his first time at the wheel of a Ferrari. He proved to be aggressive and quick right from the start and was able to adapt to the car in a very short space of time. He is very mature for his age, displaying an understanding that goes beyond the time he has spent driving single-seaters.

“With Bianchi, who has been with us since last year, we used a car fitted with special sensors to study the correlation between the car on track and the simulator: many of his laps were what I’d call ‘interlocutory’ because the main aim of them was to acquire data.”

Sergio Perez and Jules Bianchi’s Ferrari test in pictures

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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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52 comments on “Perez and Bianchi complete Ferrari test”

  1. Thanks for the article.

    I think I will have to look up what ‘interlocutory’ means!

    1. in·ter·loc·u·to·ry
      (of a decree or judgment) Given provisionally during the course of a legal action

      ??

      1. pronounced during the course of a suit, pending final decision; not final
        I think not final is the best explanation, as Bianchi’s times are not final in judging him, they are not correspondent of his catula pace.
        Which is strange given Bianchi beat Perez by 4 tenths of a second. I thought with sensors and other tools he’d have been slower.

        1. his catula pace

          Double typo there. Should’ve been actual.

        2. Maybe there’s a consistency issue with the times – average times weren’t given in this article, nor is it likely that they would be in the press release, but an afternoon spent testing bits and pieces is likely to have times all over the place.

          If that’s not the explanation… …prepare for Jules getting the nod over Felipe if any excuse for that to happen is provided.

        3. Perhaps Perez was being assessed in other ways, looking at set-up maybe. And although Bianchi was doing runs for correlation purposes, he did do a lot more than Bianchi, and is familiar with being in a Ferrari before. Does anybody know if he’s driven the F60 before?

          1. *a lot more than Perez

  2. Perez’s lap time is below 10th place on the list of Fiorano Circuit lap records. Still, he was using an F60, not remembered by many as a competitive car.

    On a side note, funny how Bianchi presented his 2011 helmet in March and has used in this occasion his 2010 one, to the point that the Ferrari logo is missing from the helmet.

    1. By the way, I prefer his 2010 one by far, I think it suits the car very nicely.
      Also here there are Italian kerbs. I like them, are they made in correspondence of the 150th Anniversary of Italy’s unification?

      Also Keith, how/where did you get all these photos? I was searching for them on the Internet, and as I found none I thought you were going to wait before posting this article, so I commented on the “Perez and Bianchi to go head to head in Ferrari test” instead, and when I had finished the article was up! Great efficiency (as always), and thanks because I’ve been waiting for this moment and these pictures will look nice on my desktop!

    2. I can’t believe they only went 0.1 seconds faster than the 412T!

      1. 0.1 seconds slower!

        1. No, Bianchi was 1:00.2, the 41T was 1:00.3. Regardless, I can’t believe the 412T was that fast! That can’t be properly representative of the two cars’ ultimate pace, can it?

  3. Wonder why I find Perez so likeable. I think he has a bright future ahead, and hopefully Sauber can profit from it in the short term.

    1. I would hope so :) They could do a better job for Ferrari than STR do for RBR!

    2. Wonder why I find Perez so likeable.

      Because he’s not winning (yet). ;)

      Vettel, Hamilton, A

      1. (Cont’d, I hit submit by accident)
        The only reason why the likes of Vettel, Alonso and Hamilton all have so many “haters” is because they’ve won races and championships. If Perez ever gets a competitive car and starts showing his worth, there will be many who will question that worth fiercely.

  4. As a Sauber fan, I hate the fact that Sergio is being groomed for Ferrari. It makes me a sad Geoffrey.

    1. As a Sauber fan you should know thats how it works. Sauber has a great record for bringing up the next top drivers. Sergio can’t stay forever. He needs to move onwards and upwards so his seat can be given to the next upcoming star. This is one thing that makes Sauber great. Besides you still have 2012 at least to enjoy watching Perez at Sauber

      1. But wouldn’t it be great if Sauber could build a car to challenge for wins and a championship?
        Mind they would have to go looking for a new engine supplier, but it would be nice anyway.

        1. Certainly. I’d much rather see Sauber challenge for wins.

    2. Well, he kinda looks like Massa, perhaps Ferrari think he will just as docile.

      1. like most mexicans he is the two faced type.
        He is never going to say anything in your face, everything it’s said behind closed doors.
        I think it is a very good way to act in today’s f1. But so boring.
        Listening to him on any interview i can say he is the boring type.
        I think he is fast, with good backing from slim. A country with racing heritage behind him. He has everything to suceed.
        How good is he? we will know when he gets a race winning car.

        1. What’s has that got to do with being Mexican ?
          Stereotype.

    3. As a Sauber fan, I hate the fact that Sergio is being groomed for Ferrari.

      I get the distinct impression Ferrari will insist that Felipe Massa’s seat at the team is safe even as the ink dries on Perez’s contract …

    4. I’m a Sauber fan as well, but I don’t expect them to win. I support Ferrari for the wins, and it’s ok for me if Sauber is the best of the rest.

  5. That 2009 Ferrari was really beautiful. Clear lines, no complicated shapes, minimalist simplicity.

    1. Ditto. Combine the nice body shape with the simple colour scheme and you have one of the best looking car of the post-2009 aero rules.

    2. That 2009 Ferrari was really beautiful. Clear lines, no complicated shapes, minimalist simplicity.

      And astonishingly uncompetitive.

      1. That said, I do like the way it is just one colour. I think the white wings on the F10 and F150 Italia spoil them.

        1. I also wish to express my hate for the white wings.
          All red is good, but I’m a sucker for the black wings for some reason.

          http://www.personal.psu.edu/smg5129/blogs/scott_grundowskis_blog/Ferrari%20412_T1_1994.jpg

        2. You’re spot on. I can’t decide if I like the F10 or the F60 more (shape-wise), but the F60’s liver is better.
          The F60 is round and has a clean nose, the F10 has a curved nose which I still love a lot and a great shape, and one day I happen to prefer one, one day the other.

          1. I never fell for the F60. I loved the F10 and thought it was one of the most beautiful cars ever but the F60 did nothing at all for me.

    3. I’m not a fan. I prefer last years car before the F-duct. I don’t like the rake of the front wing connectors on the 09 car, along with the extending nose. I used to prefer the all-red look, but I think white suits the current regs surprisingly well. Although it being a different colour should highlight it, I actually find that the white actually detracts from the weird width of the wing, and it helps make the car look better proportioned. I’d like to see the black make a return though.

  6. I like how the F60 has Bridgestone logos and Pirelli tyres!

    1. Yeah. What a ricer.

  7. Looking forward to using KERS? Didn’t the F60 have KERS?

    Maybe he means “Using a KERS that actually works and wasn’t fitted into a car designed by a donkey”

    1. They may have switched it off for testing – if it’s not central to what they’re working on, it’s just one more thing that can go wrong.

      1. Something especially true as the KERS on the F60 was rumoured to be pretty obnoxious in the way it was actually operated (if I remember right)

        1. It worked well for Kimi in Spa.

          1. … but not so much for Massa at the beginning of the year (I remember quite a few loose backend moments), and his temporary replacements, both Badoer and Fisi, do badly as well

  8. Somehow I still think that this was a job audition shootout.

  9. Just as it was in 2004 when Ferrari shaped Massa to have him in their squad for 2006,I guess they are doing the same with Perez,though he will have 2012 to prove himself that he is a deserving one.On the other hand Jules Bianchi will be their prime test driver just as Luca Badoer was for them for a long time.

  10. i dont get why perez didnt crush bianchi times

    1. Where was it written that he would?

    2. Given they might have been on completely different setup, fuel, bits and things there really is not that much to say about times, save its not the top lap time ever set.

      But when Ferrari highlight they are impressed with Perez, it is likely they have reason to say so.

    3. Jose, any particular reason why he would have “crushed” them ? Whatever “crushed” means (1 second, 1 thenth, 3 minutes, 1 week ?).

  11. Bianchi tested the F60 in the 2009 young driver test in Jerez.

  12. Can we have Massa’s best time at Fiorano when he was driving an F60?

    1. Felipe’s time at Fiorano 57:579

  13. Why isn’t Kobayashi getting a shot?? I think he should be considered a role.

    1. themagicofspeed (@)
      19th September 2011, 22:57

      Kobayashi is far, far too wild and erratic, he just cant be relied on to see someone he wants to overtake and not go mental. he’s more Takeshi’s Castle than Ferrari race seat, so to speak.

  14. So Teams decided to allow 2011 cars for young driver testing though there would be another round. interesting.

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