Thursday May 30th, 2002
The Minardi team completed on Thursday a two-day testing session at the Vairano test track in Italy, with test driver Matteo Bobbi at the wheel.
"We have completed two days of intensive work here in Vairano, where our main goal was primarily aerodynamic testing," said chief aerodynamicist Loic Bigois. "Apart from analysing a considerable amount of aerodynamic data, we were also able to do some development work in preparation for the Canadian Grand Prix. We are more than satisfied with the outcome of this test session."
The small Anglo-Italian squad focused mainly on aerodynamic work, spending Wednesday assessing different aero configurations of its chassis, and then running with high downforce levels on Thursday.
Italian Bobbi also assisted the team in comparing the effectiveness of different nose/front wing designs, covering a total of 603km.
"I feel pretty satisfied with the work done over the past two days because we have completed an extensive technical programme prepared by the engineers," said Bobbi. "Both sessions were trouble-free and turned out to be very productive. We experienced a small problem with the clutch this morning, but that was cured in a very short time.
" Personally, I'm learning more about the car all the time and my confidence is increasing as a result. I am now more familiar with the braking points, the power delivery and the speed in the corners, and can notice the improvement compared with the first time I drove the F1 car, in Valencia.
"I really enjoyed the test here and look forward to being able to assist the team further in the future."
Published at 16:38:12 GMT