The second and final day of the Young Drivers Test at Silverstone ended with Valtteri Bottas quickest for the second day running.
The Williams driver lapped the 3.05km (1.9-mile) Silverstone International circuit in a quickest time of 48.963 seconds.
“It was another successful day today for the team, with a trouble-free performance and no problems with the car,” said Bottas.
“It was useful to get some longer runs in again today and it was good for me to get a better understanding of the tyres, and how the team works. We were lucky with the weather today considering the forecast, as we were able to do most of the runs in the dry, despite a bit of dampness early on.”
With HRT confining their running to the first day, Marussia duo Max Chilton and Rio Haryanto were the only other cars running.
Team principal John Booth said: “Their running has also helped us to answer some of the set-up questions which were carried over from the British Grand Prix weekend, so it has been a very valuable experience all round.
“I have been particularly pleased with the way Max and Rio approached this opportunity and coped well with the environment of the car and the team. They earned this chance and they have made the very best of it.
“From a team perspective we have also been able to mix things up a little in terms of the different roles, swapping a few of the engineers and mechanics around to give them a chance to shine and advance themselves.”
| Pos | No. | Driver | Car | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 39 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams FW34 | 48.963 | 170 |
| 2 | 42 | Max Chilton | Marussia MR01 | 49.932 | 52 |
| 3 | 62 | Rio Haryanto | Marussia MR01 | 50.405 | 79 |
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AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
13th July 2012, 21:41
170 laps? That’s value for money that is! Marussia certainly look quicker by comparison today. It would be interesting to see them against HRT but not to be.
James (@jamesf1)
13th July 2012, 21:56
They’re still a yawning chasim behind Williams though. A second over a 1.9 mile distance is huge!
Enigma (@enigma)
13th July 2012, 22:15
@andrewtanner Don’t forget they were running on the International circuit, which is basically just the bottom half. After Abbey and Village, the drivers go directly to Chapel and the Hangar straight, so it’s a much shoter run.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
13th July 2012, 22:23
@Enigma @jamesf1 Oh I know that but it just doesn’t look as wide as yesterday. I’m gonna get a calculator and figure it out!
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
13th July 2012, 22:59
@enigma @jamesf1 Calculations done!
Bottas was 5.6% quicker than Chilton yesterday but only 1.94% today. Arguably there is less time to be lost on a shorter configuration circuit but crudely looking at it, the lap today was more than half of the lap yesterday but the percentage gap is just short of two-thirds less.
I THINK that makes sense…
Mike (@mike)
14th July 2012, 1:32
Well, if you are talking percentages then they can be directly compared. Assuming the config’s effect if negligible.
Enigma (@enigma)
13th July 2012, 23:07
@andrewtanner Wow, that took you some time! :)
I was talking about the 170 laps, not the gap :P
Anyway, it’s around 50% of the lap time, and the gap is 5 times smaller than yesterday, so it’s pretty clear. The only advantage Chilton had over a shorter circuit is the fact that it’s easier to get a perfect lap in, as I believe Bottas would have less trouble with getting a clean full circuit lap in.
Not that lap times ever matter too much in such tests :)
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
14th July 2012, 8:38
@enigma Couldn’t find my calculator. I know how to party on a Friday evening ;)
Enigma (@enigma)
14th July 2012, 9:47
@andrewtanner Haha!
celeste (@celeste)
13th July 2012, 23:31
Bottas looks like Rubens Barrichello…
f1alex (@f1alex)
14th July 2012, 11:54
Maybe this is Rubens’ way of getting back in the Williams next year..?
James (@jamesf1)
14th July 2012, 12:56
Or not…
Mustalainen (@mustalainen)
14th July 2012, 17:17
Not really.. :)
AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse)
14th July 2012, 7:07
I can’t wait to see what Bottas can do over a race weekend. I wonder whether Williams will put him in the car for a full race this season already, or whether they will let Senna finish the season. I don’t dislike Senna, and I think he’s doing a reasonable job, but I suspect Bottas could do a much better job.
BasCB (@bascb)
14th July 2012, 18:32
I don’t think they will put Bottas in the car this year, but they sure seem to be doing a lot to get him race ready for next year with all the running he gets. And surely the 170 laps brought them a welcome on track feedback from all the new bits on the car as well.
Nickpkr
14th July 2012, 22:00
Nah they know MAL is no to far of getting hurt the way he drives, so making sure the reserve is up to date, when need !
xeroxpt (@)
14th July 2012, 16:16
International circuit? Does that mean that he passed under the bridge through the stadium section, or this was part of the old international version?
xeroxpt (@)
14th July 2012, 16:30
I cant see the tubing i can olny spot duck tape.
Kimi4WDC
16th July 2012, 6:08
I hope Bottas is next Hakkinen/Raikkonen, I would love to see him in McLaren battle it out with Lewis.
All the best to him, he presents him self as very cool guy!