New Sauber reliable from the beginning

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F1 Test, Valencia, Valencia, Ricardo Tormoes

The BMW Sauber F1 Team was happy with the roll-out of its 2010 car today on the Valencia circuit in Cheste. Pedro de la Rosa was at the wheel of the BMW Sauber C29 Ferrari. The Spaniard finished second in the overall lap times with a 1:12.784 and covered a total of 74 laps behind the wheel as an official race driver.

Weather: Sunny all day
Air: 10-15 °C
Track: 11-18 °C Circuit length: 4.004 km Driver: Pedro de la Rosa (ES) Chassis: / engine BMW Sauber C29-01 / Ferrari Kilometres today: 296.296 km (74 laps) Fastest lap: 1:12.784 min

Pedro de la Rosa: “For me it was a very positive day. The car was reliable right from the beginning, which meant we could follow our programme perfectly without wasting any time. Also the car reacted to our changes very well. For me it was a day to get used to not only the new car but also to the team with all the people. And, of course, driving-wise there’s more to come from me as this was only my first day after a long break.”

Willy Rampf, Technical Director: “Overall, we are quite happy with what we achieved today. We started with an installation lap in the morning, checking the mechanical systems, followed by a baseline run in order to stabilise temperatures and pressures. We checked the hydraulic system, the fuel system and the gearshift, and everything worked well. In the afternoon we started with some basic set-up work, also to collect various data. It was a positive day without any noteworthy problems.”

What comes next Tomorrow, Tuesday, 23-year-old Kamui Kobayashi will notch up his first laps with the new car. On Wednesday Pedro de la Rosa will be taking over driving duties again.

Source: BMW Sauber F1