Monday, February 1, 2010

Latest updates from first F1 test

By Andrew Benson

Formula 1 teams' preparations for the new season have begun in earnest on Monday as the new cars hit the track for the first time in testing.

Six new cars are running at the Valencia track in Spain at the start of a three-day test.

Three of the sport's big four teams have their new cars on track - McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari - along with Williams, Renault and Sauber.

BBC Sport will be rounding up the news as it happens in Spain


BBC Sport's Sarah Holt in Valencia on Twitter : "Michael Schumacher is due to return to an up-to-date F1 cockpit in about an hour's time when he takes over the Mercedes from Nico Rosberg."

1232: F1 winter testing is always a photogenic exercise, with the low sun producing often stunning images that you don't get to see in the summer. Check out our rolling photo gallery from Valencia.

BBC Sport's Sarah Holt in Valencia on Twitter : Does a visit to Ferrari to see them serving up squid salad and lovely plates of mozzarella and tomatoes count as fact-finding? Mercedes Grand Prix on Twitpic : "first installation lap for the MGP W01. Quite emotional!"

1200: Ferrari's Felipe Massa has set the fastest time of the first morning's running, on one minute 13.088 seconds, nearly a second faster than McLaren test driver Gary Paffett, who is next quickest.

Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguesuari on Twitter: Hope we can do lots of testing with new car and no technical issues anymore! Str5 rocks i promise!!!

1145: The times being set by the cars in testing this winter will be even more difficult to analyse than usual - with refuelling banned, teams will be analysing their cars on everything from near-empty tanks to full. The lap-time difference between those states is as much as five seconds.

Renault unveiled their new car on Sunday - as well as well-heeled new driver Vitaly Petrov. BBC Sport's Sarah Holt was there to hear Petrov;s thoughts on his F1 debut, and Robert Kubica employing his trademark dry humour .

1130: Morning - we'll do out best to bring you the latest info from the Valencia Formula 1 test on Monday - the first day's preparation for the new season, which begins in Bahrain on 14 March.

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