Friday was the final day of a week long test of the Team McLaren Mercedes’ new 2005 challenger, the MP4-20, at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. Following four days of exclusive testing for the team at the Spanish track Juan Pablo was joined on track for the final day by Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher and Luca Badoer and Felipe Massa in the Sauber.
Juan Pablo completed a total of 72 laps over the course of the day, managing to put several long runs on the clock, his fastest time of the day being recorded at 1:16.398. The Colombian driver has declared himself happy with the new car and despite not wanting to make any predictions just yet, is now looking further to more work over the coming weeks, starting in Valencia next week, to ensure it is ready for the Australian GP.
"I have really enjoyed my second day of testing with MP4-20 in Barcelona,” the Colombian said. “It was the same situation with the freezing track this morning as it was yesterday, but once the temperature went up we have been able to run a total of 72 laps altogether. Everything is going to plan and it has been a good first test this week which was positive for the whole team. However until we get the car to Australia and start racing, there is no point in making any predictions. There will be a lot of work ahead of us and I am looking forward to it. Next week we are testing in Valencia, with Kimi, Alex and Pedro, and the following week I will be back at the wheel of MP4-20 in Jerez."
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