Atlas F1 News Service

Frentzen Fastest as Bourdais Debuts at Valencia - Day Three

Thursday July 11th, 2002

Frentzen Fastest as Bourdais Debuts at ValenciaHeinz-Harald Frentzen gave his debt-ridden Arrows team a small boost of confidence on Thursday by setting the quickest time on the third day of testing at the Valencia circuit.

The veteran German driver continued with the development of the Cosworth-powered A23 in the morning, finishing nearly three tenths of a second ahead of Italian Giancarlo Fisichella in the only Jordan at the Ricardo Tormo circuit today.

Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who is testing components for the 2003 Renault, posted the third fastest time, outpacing Brazilian Felipe Massa, who was fourth. The French squad were pleased with their progress.

"Overall, a very successful day for us," said Renault's technnical director Mike Gascoyne. "The performance testing this morning allowed us to complete our work from yesterday, whilst the afternoon was a normal tyre test."

Sauber driver Massa today replaced teammate Nick Heidfeld, concentrating on aerodynamic tests, brake development, and also carrying out a tyre programme for Bridgestone.

"I am happy to have done so much running today," said Massa. "It feels as if we have tried every conceivable configuration on the car. Certainly the work we have done at this test has enabled to improve it for the French Grand Prix. I am looking forward to the race in Magny-Cours next week."

Williams test driver Marc Gene, who on Wednesday topped the timesheets, was only fifth fastest today, but the Spaniard completed the most number of laps at the wheel of the BMW-powered FW24 with 106.

Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais made his Formula One debut in the afternoon, taking over from Frentzen behind the wheel of the Arrows A23. The F3000 championship leader worked on familiarising with the Grand Prix car, completing 25 laps to finish more than three seconds off Frentzen's pace.

Testing at Valencia will conclude on Friday.


Today's times:

Pos  Driver        Team-Engine         Tyres  Time     Laps
 1.  Frentzen      Arrows-Cosworth     (B)    1:12.505  41
 2.  Fisichella    Jordan-Honda        (B)    1:12.795  92
 3.  Alonso        Renault             (M)    1:13.260  75
 4.  Massa         Sauber-Petronas     (B)    1:13.715 104
 5.  Gene          Williams-BMW        (M)    1:14.065 106
 6.  Bourdais      Arrows-Cosworth     (B)    1:15.719  25

All Timing Unofficial

  • Visit Atlas F1's Testing Center for further information

    Published at 16:11:04 GMT



    Latest Headlines:
    <<  Previous  |  Jul News  |  News Index |  Next  >>
    *(03-16-2005): Badoer Continues Testing at Fiorano
    *(03-16-2005): Fisichella Aims to Win Again in Malaysia
    *(03-16-2005): Davidson Lined Up for Villeneuve's Drive
    *(03-16-2005): Preview: Raikkonen Aims to Stop Renault
    *(03-16-2005): Malaysia Preview Quotes: Jordan


    © 1995-2005 Kaizar.Com, Inc. Copyright & Terms
  •  

      < Previous | Next >


      Jul 2002 Index

      Current News Index


      Email to Friend

      Newsroom:

       2004 at a Glance
       2004 Standings
       2005 Calendar
       2005 Line-Up
       Drivers Bio
       Teams Info
       Testing Center



      General:

       Homepage
       Magazine
       News Service
       Grapevine
       Photo Gallery
       My Atlas
       Bulletin Board
       Chat Service
       Shop @ Atlas
       Search & Archive
       FORIX
       Help