Brawn threat is genuine

There will be many surprises this year (2009) Formula One season. Change of rules, new technologies implementation, the return of slick tyres, new driver and “new” team.

The best of all changes – the new team. Brawn GP F1 Team.

 

Less than 2 weeks in test, Brawn already posts a threat to all the teams by clocking fastest time 3 days in a role.  As the team formerly owned by Honda, the 2 experience drivers remain unchanged.  With their experience, can they (one of them) be the championship contender this year?

 

My favourite this year: Jenson Button

 

In various interview sessions, we can clearly see that others are paying attention on this dark-horse and tag Brawn as a team to beat in the 2009 season.

Extracted from Formula1.com

Q: The Brawn clocked a fantastic time. Would you be able to do something similar when going for a qualifying lap?
Felipe Massa: No. And I think nobody can do.

Q: Do you think this time was genuine, or were they running on low fuel?
FM: Many people were running on a low fuel load, not just them. I think their lap time is just much quicker than everybody else can do.

Q: Having now seen all your rivals on the track, who do you think will be your biggest challenger?
Robert Kubica: On one hand I feel surprised, and on the other I feel happy to see it is Brawn Grand Prix. They are performing really well. There is speculation that they are running very light, but I don’t think that it is a fuel issue. They simply look very competitive…

 

Everything looks perfect for Brawn, until Fernando Alonso snatched the top of the list chalked the fastest time in Jerez Day 2. But still, Brawn duo managed to booked second and third place in the time sheet, it looks really promising…

 

Unofficial Sunday times from Jerez: (DAY 1)
1. Rubens Barrichello, Brawn BGP 001, 1:19.236
2. Fernando Alonso, Renault R29, 1:19.819
3. Nico Hulkenberg, Williams FW31, 1:20.015

 

Unofficial Monday times from Jerez: (DAY 2)
1. Fernando Alonso, Renault R29, 1:18.343
2. Rubens Barrichello, Brawn BGP 001, 1:18.398
3. Jenson Button, Brawn BGP 001, 1:18.892
4. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren MP4-24, 1:19.513
5. Nico Rosberg, Williams FW31, 1:19.783

F1 Team to watch - Brawn GP F1 Team

“I am happy, really happy!”

“I felt very good”

“This one was born really nicely”

“It is a good combination with the engine, in terms of power and drivability”

“This year is going to be a happy one.”

“Now we are a very well prepared group”

“We have a good chance to have a car to surprise”

“I think we will be the surprise of the year.”

 

These are the reactions by Ruben Barrichello after clocking the fastest time in Barcelona Day 4 testing.

 

 

2 days in a row, 2 different driver, 1 team.  Brawn BGP 001 and the team proved that they have the package to be on top of the list.  It will be too soon to say, but Brawn GP F1 team definitely is the team to watch in 2009 season.

The car still empty without any sponsorship (other than the tyres supplier Bridgestone), but I believe that despite the current economy situation, they will still attract big money from the sponsors.  (Do we have the word “recession” in Formula One dictionary?)

 

Unofficial Thursday times from Barcelona:
1. Rubens Barrichello, Brawn BGP 001, 1:18.926
2. Nico Rosberg, Williams FW31, 1:19.774
3. Timo Glock, Toyota TF109, 1:20.091
4. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull RB5, 1:20.576
5. Fernando Alonso, Renault R29, 1:20.664
6. Felipe Massa, Ferrari F60, 1:20.677
7. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber F1.09, 1:20.740
8. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren MP4-24, 1:20.869
9. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso STR4, 1:21.013
10. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India VJM02, 1:21.045
11. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso STR4, 1:21.629

Team to watch in 2009 – Brawn GP Formula One Team

After securing the future of former Honda team, with ownership passing to team principal Brawn with immediate effect. Subject to FIA approval, the team will become known as the Brawn GP Formula One Team.

 

In such a short turn-over period, Button manage to clock the fastest time with Brawn GP 001 in Day 3 practice in Barcelona, more than a second faster than the nearest competitor Felipe Massa.

 

Plain white racing suit, car with no sponsorship logo on it….

Still looks cool…

Unofficial Wednesday times from Barcelona:
1. Jenson Button, Brawn BGP 001, 1:19.127
2. Felipe Massa, Ferrari F60, 1:20.168
3. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber F1.09, 1:20.217
4. Timo Glock, Toyota TF109, 1:20.410
5. Fernando Alonso, Renault R29, 1:20.863
6. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull RB5, 1:21.165
7. Nico Rosberg, Williams FW31, 1:21.324
8. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India VJM02, 1:21.545
9. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso STR4, 1:21.569
10. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren MP4-24, 1:21.657

Barcelona Summary (26 Feb - 28 Feb 2008)

Unofficial Monday times from Barcelona - Day 1:
1. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:22.276
2. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:22.319
3. Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 1:22.428
4. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:22.724
5. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 1:22.852
6. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:22.974
7. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:23.021
8. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:23.075
9. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:23.091
10. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:23.115
11. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso, 1:23.188
12. Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, 1:23.239
13. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:23.270
14. Christian Klien, BMW Sauber, 1:23.442
15. Nelson Piquet Jr, Renault, 1:23.609
16. Kamui Kobayashi, Toyota, 1:23.880
17. Rubens Barrichello, Honda, 1:24.660
18. Alexander Wurz, Honda, 1:24.667
19. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:24.826


Unofficial Tuesday times from Barcelona - Day 2:
1. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:21.234
2. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 1:21.434
3. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:21.722
4. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:22.309
5. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:22.513
6. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India, 1:22.516
7. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:22.558
8. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 1:22.625
9. Jenson Button, Honda, 1:22.659
10. Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, 1:22.942
11. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:22.977
12. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 1:23.023
13. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:23.112
14. Rubens Barrichello, Honda, 1:23.169
15. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:23.284
16. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:23.323
17. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:23.458
18. Nelson Piquet Jr, Renault, 1:23.467
19. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:23.561

Unofficial Wednesday times from Barcelona - Day 3:
1. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 1:20.801
2. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:21.258
3. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:21.293
4. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 1:21.309
5. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:21.368
6. Nelson Piquet Jr, Renault, 1:21.443
7. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:21.454
8. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:21.796
9. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:21.933
10. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:22.011
11. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:22.155
12. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India, 1:22.233
13. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:22.286
14. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 1:22.299
15. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:22.465
16. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:22.521
17. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:22.624
18. Jenson Button, Honda, 1:23.754
19. Alexander Wurz, Honda, 1:24.154

Hamilton outpace three world champions

Despite a damp start to the day’s running, Hamilton covered 78 laps in the MP4-23

Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, and clocking 1m 22.276s beat all three world champions, Kimi Raikkonen, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso.

Michael Schumacher manage to clock third fastest time 1:22.428, 1 tenth behind Kimi Raikonen second place.

Williams continued to impress, with Kazuki Nakajima taking fourth slot and Nico Rosberg finishing in sixth. The duo covered over 150 laps as they continued to carry out set-up work and engine system checks.

Nick Heidfeld led the BMW Sauber line-up in eighth, with team tester Christian Klien 14th. It was the first time Klien had driven the squad’s F1.08 in dry conditions and he covered 42 laps as he carried out system checks and basic set-up work. Heidfeld, who completed 75 laps, will be joined by team mate Robert Kubica on Tuesday.

Renault’s Fernando Alonso just missed out on making it under the 1m 23s mark and ended the session seventh. Team mate Nelson Piquet Jr, meanwhile, took up 15th spot. The French team ran through a race simulation in the morning before switching to pit-stop practice in the afternoon.

Unofficial Monday times from Barcelona:
1. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:22.276
2. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:22.319
3. Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 1:22.428
4. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:22.724
5. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 1:22.852
6. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:22.974
7. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:23.021
8. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:23.075
9. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:23.091
10. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:23.115
11. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso, 1:23.188
12. Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, 1:23.239
13. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:23.270
14. Christian Klien, BMW Sauber, 1:23.442
15. Nelson Piquet Jr, Renault, 1:23.609
16. Kamui Kobayashi, Toyota, 1:23.880
17. Rubens Barrichello, Honda, 1:24.660
18. Alexander Wurz, Honda, 1:24.667
19. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:24.826

Detailed report: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/2/7390.html

Barcelona Testing - Summary

Unofficial Tuesday times from Barcelona - Day 1 (20 Feb 2008) WET:
1. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:30.675
2. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:32.370
3. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:32.599
4. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:32.820
5. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:32.924
6. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 1:33.283
7. Nelson Piquet Jr, Renault, 1:40.073
8. Kamui Kobayashi, Toyota, no time

Unofficial Wednesday times from Barcelona - Day 2 (21 Feb 2008) WET:
1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:30.673
2. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:31:213
3. Luca Badoer, Ferrari, 1:31.288
4. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:31.654
5. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:31.731
6. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:31.963
7. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:32.407
8. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 1:32.571
9. Nico Hulkenberg, Williams, 1:33.102
10. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, no time
11. Nelson Piquet Jr, Renault, no time

Unofficial Thursday times from Barcelona - Day 3 (22 Feb 2008) DRY:
1. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:22.153
2. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 1:22.185
3. Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren, 1:22.208
4. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:22.213
5. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:22.248
6. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:22.477
7. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:22.499
8. Luca Badoer, Ferrari, 1:22.535
9. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:22.657
10. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:22.901
11. Nelson Piquet Jr, Renault, 1:23.286
12. Kamui Kobayashi, Toyota, 1:24.132
13. Nico Hulkenberg, Williams, 1:24.222

Jerez Testing - Summary

Unofficial Monday times from Jerez - Day 1:
1. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:20.645
2. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:20.798
3. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:20.831
4. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:20.945

Unofficial Tuesday times from Jerez - Day 2:
1. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:19.102
2. Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren, 1:19.287
3. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 1:19.539
4. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:19.601
5. Nelson Piquet Jr, Renault, 1:19.660
6. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:19.958
7. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:20.013
8. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:20.029
9. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso, 1:20.105
10. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:20.176
11. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:20.418
12. Rubens Barrichello, Honda, 1:21.133
13. Lucas di Grassi, Renault, 1:21.200
14. Takuma Sato, Super Aguri, 1:21.400
15. Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, 1:21.553
16. Alexander Wurz, Honda, 1:21.950

Unofficial Wednesday times from Jerez - Day 3:
1. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:18.628
2. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:19.091
3. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:19.215
4. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:19.710
5. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 1:19.829
6. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:19.857
7. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:19.883
8. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso, 1:19.889
9. Nelson Piquet Jr, Renault, 1:20.014
10. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 1:20.152
11. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:20.201
12. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:20.536
13. Jenson Button, Honda, 1:21.147
14. Takuma Sato, Super Aguri, 1:21.376
15. Rubens Barrichello, Honda, 1:21.710
16. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:22.244

Unofficial Thursday times from Jerez - Day 4:
1. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 1:17.974
2. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:18.485
3. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:19.117
4. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:19.429
5. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 1:19.535
6. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso, 1:19.688
7. Nelson Piquet Jr, Renault, 1:19.817
8. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:19.848
9. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:19.934
10. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:19.980
11. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India, 1:20.669
12. Jenson Button, Honda, 1:20.988
13. Anthony Davidson, Super Aguri, 1:21.010
14. Nico Hulkenberg, Williams, 1:21.116
15. Lucas di Grassi, Renault, 1:21.286
16. Alexander Wurz, Honda, 1:21.605

Valencia Testing - Day 1 to Day 4

Unofficial Monday times from Valencia Day 1 (Only 2 teams participated):
1. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:13.027
2. Nico Hulkenberg, Williams, 1:14.599


Unofficial Tuesday times from Valencia Day 2:
1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:12.182
2. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:12.721
3. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:12.838
4. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 1:13.026
5. Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren, 1:13.163
6. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:13.315
7. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:13.473
8 Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso, 1:13.627
9. Marko Asmer, BMW Sauber, 1:13.669
10. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:13.675
11. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:13.779
12. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 1:13.820
13. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:13.944
14. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:14.096
15. Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, 1:15.096
16. Alexander Wurz, Honda, 1:15.440


Unofficial Wednesday times from Valencia Day 3:
1. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 1:11.000
2. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:11.662
3. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:11.850
4. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:12.076
5. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:12.255
6. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:12.360
7. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:12.493
8. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:12.594
9. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:12.976
10 Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso, 1:13.015
11. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:13.129
12. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 1:13.230
13. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:13.307
14. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:13.409
15. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 1:13.547
16. Rubens Barrichello, Honda, 1:14.588
17. Takashi Kogure, Honda, 1:16.954


Unofficial Thursday times from Valencia Day 4:
1. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:11.189
2. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 1:11.206
3. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:11.831
4. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:11.971
5. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:11.994
6. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 1:12.095
7. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 1:12.350
8. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso, 1:12.526
9. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:12.600
10. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:12.705
11. Nelson Piquet Jr, Renault, 1:12.973
12. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India, 1:12.976
13. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:13.060
14. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:13.133
15. Nico Hulkenberg, Williams, 1:13.306
16. Jenson Button, Honda, 1:13.689
17. Takashi Kogure, Honda, 1:15.703

Timo Glock clocked the best time in Jerez Day 3

Unofficial Wednesday times from Jerez:
1. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:19.779
2. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:20.099
3. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:20.363
4. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:20.407
5. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:20.500
6. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 1:20.535
7. Kamui Kobayashi, Toyota, 1:20.577
8. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:20.646
9. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:20.758
10. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:21.705
11. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:22.275
12. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:22.581
13. Nico Hulkenberg, Williams, 1:24.023

Detail report: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/1/7268.html

Renault back on top of timesheet

Jerez Testing Day 2 - Part 1

Jerez Testing Day 2 - Part 2

Fernando Alonso made a triumphant return to the Renault team on Tuesday during the second day of testing at Jerez. Alonso clocked a lap of 1m 19.503s around the Spanish circuit, beating fellow Spaniard - and former McLaren team mate - Pedro de la Rosa by over a tenth of a second.

After Monday's mixed weather, much drier conditions greeted the teams on their arrival at the track and Alonso was able to cover 70 laps over the course of the day in the R27. It was the former world champion’s first opportunity to drive a car set up in accordance with the 2008 electronic regulations.

“The result of my first day in the car is encouraging,” he said. “I could not wait to drive again, but at the same time I was a bit tentative. I quickly settled back in to the team and everything went well.
"We made good progress throughout the day, but there is a lot still to do. I had to adapt at first to the car and get used to driving the car without traction control, but I am convinced that that soon I will be used to this and will not remember what is was like to drive with traction control.”

Unofficial Tuesday times from Jerez:

1. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:19.5032
2. Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren, 1:19.6503
3. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:19.7084
4. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:19.7725
5. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:19.7756
6. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 1:19.7807
7. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso, 1:20.3058
8. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:20.3469
9. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:20.39210
10. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:20.52511
11. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:20.59812
12. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India, 1:20.76413
13. Kamui Kobayashi, Toyota, 1:22.060

Detail report: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/1/7264.html

Ferrari lead the time sheet in Jerez

Take a closer look on how the F1 machines skidding and sliding without traction control

Unofficial Monday times from Jerez:

1. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:19.8452
2. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:20.1233
3. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso, 1:20.7324
4. Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren, 1:20.8835
5. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 1:20.9366
6. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:20.9977
7. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:21.1438
8. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 1:21.344 9
9. Nelson Piquet Jr, Renault, 1:21.59510
10. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:21.74511
11. Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India, 1:23.03512
12. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:23.13413
13. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:24.35114
14. James Rossiter, Super Aguri, 1:34.852

Non-grooved slick possible return in 2009

Bridgestone non-grooved slick on track...

Bridgestone gain a great deal of valuable data after last week of testing in Jerez. Hirohide Hamashima, director of Bridgestone Motorsport tyre development reviews the test:

Q: What has Bridgestone learnt from running with slick tyres at this test?
Hirohide Hamashima: This test was a valuable data gathering exercise. We have to remember that these are development tyres and the 2007 chassis have not been designed to run with slicks. However, the information gained will help us and the teams with developments for the future. We received strong feedback from all drivers, including Michael Schumacher who we know well. It was good to see him here.

Q: What is the plan for further tests and development of the slick tyres?
HH: We will review the information gained and this will enable us to continue to develop these tyres. The teams also now have initial information to help develop their cars. We will respond to requests from the Formula One Testing Committee for future tests as required and we would expect further tests over the course of next year.

Q: How similar are these tyres to those used by Bridgestone in Formula One racing in 1997?
HH: We have learnt a lot since we last ran with slicks in F1 from our activities in Formula One and other motorsport activities like GP2, Champ Car and IndyCar, which all use our slick tyres. This knowledge has been incorporated into this development tyre and there are many differences from our 1997 tyres.

Q: Have there been any major differences to tyre use and wear with no traction control?
HH: We have not seen a significant change to how the tyres are used when there is no traction control. Jerez is a circuit where traction control would be used more than Barcelona where we also saw cars running without it. Despite this, tyre performance has been good and in keeping with what we would see when traction control is employed.

Q: How big a difference should we see in lap times from slick tyres?
HH: When the teams ran with 2007 levels of downforce certain cars were more than two seconds faster. When the cars ran with 2009 levels of downforce they were slower, which is the aim of the regulations. We must also remember that the current cars and their suspension have not been designed for slick tyres. A lot of development will occur in both the cars and the Bridgestone tyres before 2009.

Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2007/12/7175.html