Jerez / Vettel: We have made further progress

Sebastian Vettel completed its first day of testing with the RB9 yesterday in Jerez without encountering any major problems. The three-time world champion set the third time (1'19"052) with 1"173 on the reference time set by Felipe Massa. The German was able to complete more than a hundred laps at the wheel for his first day of testing, which allowed him to have a fairly precise idea of ​​the car. If the pilot Red Bull does not note any major changes compared to the previous version, its first impressions remain satisfactory.

“I think the car works very well,” he commented after his first day of testing at Jerez. “It's obviously difficult to judge its speed, but it's good in terms of reliability and I've been happy with the car so far. It's always a good thing to be at the best level and to have been able to complete so many laps to observe how the car works. It's an evolution and I think we've made further progress, but that's all I can say for now. It is impossible to give a judgment at the moment because I think the teams are playing with the fuel on board. Furthermore, it's the first test and it's at Jerez, a track where tire degradation is significant, apart from the rubbers playing a major role. There are too many variables to take into account. It was good to get back behind the wheel but we shouldn't get excited. »

Results of the third day of testing in Jerez:

1/ Felipe Massa? Ferrari ? 1'17"879? 86 rounds
2/ Nico Rosberg? Mercedes ? 1'18 »766 (+0 »887)? 148 rounds
3/ Sebastian Vettel? Red Bull ? 1'19"052 (+1"173)? 102 rounds
4/ Kimi Räikkönen? Lotus? 1’19”200 (+1”321)? 40 rounds
5/ Jean-Eric Vergne? Toro Rosso ? 1'19 »247 (+1 »368)? 85 rounds
6/ James Rossiter? Force India? 1’19”303 (+1”424)? 42 rounds
7/ Jenson Button? McLaren ? 1 »19 »603 (+1 »724)? 83 rounds
8/ Esteban Gutiérrez? Sauber? 1'19"934 (+2"055)? 110 rounds
9/ Max Chilton? Marussia? 1'21"269 (+3"390)? 78 rounds
10 / Valtteri Bottas ? Williams ? 1'21 »575 (+3 »696)? 86 rounds
11/ Charles Pic? Caterham? 1'22"352 (+4"473)? 57 rounds
12/ Paul di Resta? Force India? 1’23”729 (+5”850)? 7 rounds