Honda happy with Senna and progress for 2009

The Honda Racing F1 Team today concluded the first test of the winter at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona with Jenson Button and Bruno Senna at the wheel of the Honda cars. While Button focused on the development for 2009, Senna's runs were aimed at making himself more comfortable and finding a good base setup.

On his second day of running, Jenson continued his set-up programme with the modified RA108 running on slick tyres. He worked through a series of aerodynamic and suspension evaluations to provide further feedback for the development of the team's 2009 car.

On the other side of the garage, Bruno had his opportunity for a full day of running today. His focus during the morning was to establish a good baseline set-up however traffic frustrated his new tyre runs. Bruno continued to work on improving the car in the afternoon completing two further new tyre runs and setting consistent lap times.

The team's next test will take place at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain from Tuesday 9 to Thursday 11 December.

Jenson Button: "It's nice to be back in a car that I enjoy driving. Taking a lot of the downforce off and running on slick tyres suits my driving style a lot more than grooved tyres. I've had a fun couple of days and it's been very useful as we have tested many things which should help us with the new car. It's been a positive start to 2009 already and I'm very pleased. I've just got to keep pushing the team hard now to get the improvements that we are hoping to achieve for next year."

Bruno Senna: "Today has been a really good day and I'm very pleased. I've become a lot more comfortable and confident in the car and I think that showed in the lap time, both in the actual time and also the consistency. We found some good set-ups and we were able to make a lot of progress through the day. Whether what I did today is good enough is for the team to decide now and I respect that. But for me personally, for my first time in a Formula One car, I have to be happy with what I achieved today. Driving a Formula One car is a very special feeling and it is very easy to know why it is the pinnacle of motorsport. It's very different to anything else you can drive and I just wanted to go faster and faster. Aside from the hard work and focus here this week I have really enjoyed myself. The Honda team are very professional and I am proud to have spent the time with them during this very special week for me."

Ross Brawn: "The first test of the winter in Barcelona has seen us commence our on-track preparations for 2009, a season which will see the most significant change in Formula One's technical regulations for many years. We have been running two modified RA108 chassis with an aerodynamic package representative of the downforce levels required for next season.

"We have also conducted an intensive tyre programme with the Bridgestone Potenza slick tyres. Having been sensible in the use of our tyre allocation so far this year, we are in the best possible position to gain information about the new slicks ahead of the launch of our new car. Whilst the temperatures have been quite cool this week, which has affected the behaviour of the tyres, both the team and drivers are happy to see Formula One back on slicks.

"In addition to our main test programme, we took the opportunity to evaluate the emerging talents of Lucas Di Grassi and Bruno Senna. Both drivers spent one and a half days in our car which has enabled the team to assess their performance and level of technical skill. Lucas and Bruno have both performed admirably over the course of the week and their evident enthusiasm and commitment has made them a pleasure to work with. We will now take some time to carefully consider our findings from this test before reaching any further conclusions."

Drivers: Jenson Button / Bruno Senna
No of Laps: 94 laps / 107 laps Best Lap Time: 01:21.387 / 1:21.676 Kilometres Covered: 936km Track Length: 4.655km

Total Test Laps: 585 laps Total Test Kilometres: 2723km

Weather: Cold and sunny Ambient Temperature: Maximum 18°C Track Temperature: Maximum 23°C