Sauber driver Felipe Massa recorded the best overall time on day three of the opening Formula One test for the 2005 season at the Catalunya circuit today, the Brazilian putting the new Michelin rubber on his C23 to very good use during his 71 laps of the Spanish track.
Toyota’s two official drivers for the new season, Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher, were second and third respectively, Jarno working on tyres, while the German concentrated on 2005 aerodynamic set-up. Ricardo Zonta, the team’s test driver, will replace the official drivers tomorrow.
Marc Webber has been busy testing 2005 tyres for Michelin but suffered some problems with the BMW engine in his FW26. Williams test driver Antonio Pizzonia, who is a candidate to become the second official driver in the Grove based squad, has been hard at work, finishing seventh after 49 laps.
On day two with his new team, Juan Pablo Montoya suffered an off track excursion in his McLaren MP4-19B at turn Banc de Sabadell (stadium area), thankfully without major consequences. While the Colombian has been busy adapting to his new charger and team, test driver Alex Wurz has been working on aerodynamics for 2005 with fellow
BAR didn’t have a smooth day with both drivers, Bernoldi and Button being forced to stop on the main straight due to engine issues. Takuma Sato will start testing tomorrow.
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