Barcelona Day 4 – Barrichello does even better than Button

The last day of testing in Barcelona at the Circuit de Catalunya was briefly delayed this morning due to fog. However, the ten drivers quickly took to the track, and once again, Brawn GP finished the day at the top of the timesheet.

Rubens Barrichello was behind the wheel of the new BGP001. He proved to be just as effective as Jenson Button. The Brazilian completed 110 laps with the best time being 1:18.926 on his 102nd lap.

Barrichello does better than Button by two-tenths of a second. This time was likely recorded with a low fuel level, but it gives an insight into the capabilities of the new car.

Nico Rosberg increased his pace in his Williams with the second fastest time of the day, eight-tenths off the leader. This time shows a marked improvement in the FW31, which is followed by Timo Glock’s TF109.

Sebastian Vettel was back behind the wheel of his Red Bull Renault to complete the pre-season program of the team based in Milton Keynes. He is fourth of the day ahead of Fernando Alonso with Renault.

The Spaniard was limited to only 64 laps today because the R29 had an engine failure in the middle of the afternoon. The red flag was raised due to oil spilling onto the track.

The Ferrari F60 of Massa finished the day in sixth place ahead of Robert Kubica with the BMW-Sauber.

McLaren struggled all week to find their rhythm in Barcelona, just like last week in Jerez. The team can be somewhat satisfied with their pace today, even if in the end it is only an 8th place for Hamilton, nearly two seconds behind Barrichello.

Sébastien Buemi and Sébastien Bourdais for Toro Rosso were both in the race. The first completed 62 laps with the ninth fastest time and the second only 27 laps with the 11th fastest time. It’s Giancarlo Fisichella with Force India who came between the two drivers.

Join us this weekend in Jerez to catch Brawn GP, McLaren, Renault, and Williams finalizing their testing program starting Sunday morning.

Private Test Results Spain – Barcelona – Thursday, March 12, 2009: