Even if public perception sometimes does get it the other way around: only a small part of day-to-day Formula One testing operations actually consists of chasing records at breakneck speed. The bulk of it is hard work with painstaking attention to detail, as was the case recently at Red Bull Racing’s official FIA tests at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia.
The main point for the team last week was to test the durability of various essential components before the upcoming season. The results were more than satisfactory: the cars had no technical problems whatsoever, even in unfriendly conditions with low temperatures and strong wind.
Red Bull Racing was once again testing with two vehicles and three drivers. David Coulthard did 220 laps, Tonio Liuzzi 148 and Christian Klien 143. The best times were driven by Klien and Coulthard. These times aren’t that significant, though, since the cars used, as well as the tests performed, differed from one another considerably.
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