The Minardi team concluded a two-day test session at the Vairano track, near
Milan, on Thursday as part of their preparations for the upcoming Canadian
Grand Prix.
A press release reported that the Faenza-based team focused primarily on
aerodynamic work, spending Wednesday assessing different aero configurations
of its chassis, and then running with high downforce levels on Thursday.
In addition, test driver, Matteo Bobbi, assisted the team in comparing
the effectiveness of different nose and front wing designs, as well as
trying several new aerodynamic components. "I feel pretty satisfied with the
work done over the past two days because we have completed an extensive
technical programme prepared by the engineers," said Bobbi.
"Both sessions were trouble-free and turned out to be very productive. We
experienced a small problem with the clutch this morning (Thursday), but
that was cured in a very short time.
"Personally, I'm learning more about the car all the time and my
confidence is increasing as a result. I am now more familiar with the
braking points, the power delivery and the speed in the corners, and can
notice the improvement compared with the first time I drove the F1 car, in
Valencia. I really enjoyed the test here and look forward to being able to
assist the team further in the future."
Bobbi completed 253km of running on Thursday, with a total of 603km
covered in the course of the two days. Chief aerodynamic engineer Loic
Bigois was pleased with the progress made.
"We have completed two days of intensive work here in Vairano, where our
main goal was primarily aerodynamic testing," he said.
"Apart from analysing a considerable amount of aerodynamic data, we were
also able to do some development work in preparation for the Canadian Grand
Prix. We are more than satisfied with the outcome of this test session."
Minardi, who lie joint-eighth in the constructors' championship, now head
to Montreal for next weekend's Canadian Grand Prix. |