F1: "Quick Nick" sets fastest time for Lotus Renault in Jerez

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“Quick Nick” Heidfeld got his first taste of the Lotus Renault GP R31 today, Saturday in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain and ended session at the top of the timesheets during his audition to substitute for Robert Kubica.

Nick Heidfeld, Lotus Renault GP (Photo: WRI2)

The team evaluated a new floor upgrade. Pressure tapping and flow viz paint allowed the engineers to verify its aero characteristics. The team ran back-to-back tests on all four Pirelli tire compounds for the first time. This confirmed the different degradation rates and variations in new tyre performance.

“We had a good day, without too many problems, and luckily all the changes we made to the car went in the right direction and improved things, so I was able to push harder and harder,” said Heidfeld at the end of the day.

Fernando Alonso was at the wheel of the F150th Italia. The Spanish driver worked through a similar programme to the one that team-mate Felipe Massa completed yesterday, setting the second fastest time of the day.

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari (Photo: WRI2)

Alonso ran with an image of his friend Robert Kubica’s helmet on his own one and in the morning, he worked on a comparison between the four types of tire that Pirelli had brought for this test.