Jerez Day 1 – Vettel wins the first round

Sebastian Vettel has made a strong impact as the German finished at the top of the first day of testing in Jerez, Spain. He thus confirms the potential of his Red Bull Racing RB5 this Sunday by being far ahead of the other drivers.

He achieved the feat of being 1.3 seconds ahead of Felipe Massa with the F60 on this day, which saw a shower around noon. All teams conduct these tests with their 2009 version single-seater.

Massa led the race during the morning before losing his first place in the early afternoon once the rain fell. Vettel once again demonstrates his exceptional abilities in wet conditions.

Toyota was back on the European continent after two weeks in the Middle East in Bahrain. On this first day at Jerez, it was the team’s test driver, Kobayashi Kumui, who was responsible for successfully carrying out Toyota’s testing program. He achieved the third best time of the day by focusing on aerodynamic evaluation work.

« This morning, it was my first opportunity to try the TF109 in dry conditions, » said the Japanese.

« For this first race, the car was easy to drive. We have started our testing program perfectly. It’s a step forward compared to last year. »

« The downpour somewhat slowed our afternoon, but we still followed our schedule. Overall, everything went well; it was a good day of testing for us. »

Nico Rosberg is fourth with Williams, ahead of Robert Kubica driving his F1.09 and Giancarlo Fisichella in the new Force India, the VJM02. For this first day of single-seater testing, the Italian covered the fewest laps.

Pedro de la Rosa takes only seventh place with McLaren despite a significant number of kilometers covered. Nelson Piquet finishes the day at the bottom of the timesheet with his Renault R29.

Results of Private Tests Spain – Day 1 – Sunday March 1: