Testing for Red Bull in Spain this week, Sebastien Loeb proved he has the skills to move from rallying to F1.
The Frenchman completed 82 laps in total. His best, a 1:22.503, placed him eighth on the timesheet, just two tenths slower than “Handsome Bob” Kubica and quicker than the likes of Nelson Piquet, Adrian Sutil and Christian Klein.
“I don’t think I’d like to take this much horsepower into the forests!” Loeb joked after the session.
“It was a great experience though and I had fun, although I have to say that driving one of these cars is tougher physically than driving my rally car.”
The test was a gift to Loeb from Red Bull - who also sponsor his Citroen rally team - for winning the World Rally drivers’ title for an unprecendented fifth time in a row.
Crasher bonus! Watch footage of Loeb’s Red Bull test below:
Seb Vettel topped the timesheets on the second day of testing in Barcelona, silencing those observers who believed the young German made a mistake by leaving Toro Rosso to take a seat in an apparently slower car.
However, as good as Vettel’s first day at the new office was, it’s still far too early to glean anything from testing, as each team is experimenting wildly with new aero parts ahead of the new season. For example, the two Ferraris, driven by Luca Badoer and Marc Gene, finished down in 12th and 13th.
The most interesting aspect of the Barcelona sessions is the Toro Rosso drive-off between Seb Buemi, Seb Bourdais (what is it with Toro Rosso and Sebs?) and Takuma Sato.
Yesterday Gridcrasher created something of an online storm by suggesting that BMW Sauber’s 2009 prototype is ugly. A controversial statement, obviously - maybe it’s because we used wonky-faced Robert Kubica as a benchmark?
Well, vindication just roared into town, in the form of Christian Klien. The Austrian test driver (pictured) agrees with us that the new BMW is a dog.
“I never saw such a sexy car,” Klien said after testing in Barcelona yesterday (message to our sensitive Polish readers: Klien is making a joke - you see, he doesn’t really think it’s sexy. Clever, eh). “It looks very, very new to everybody.
“To me, for the moment, it’s the worst (looking) Formula One car I have ever seen. It just doesn’t fit together.”
However, in the interests of fairness, can we add that BMW’s new car is uglier than all non-Polish F1 drivers - including Lewis Hamilton. There, we said it.
BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica is the ugliest F1 driver… and now he has the ugliest car to drive. BMW’s 2009 prototype, unveiled at Barcelona yesterday, is out of proportion, much like Polish Bob’s features.
A thumbs-up from Bruno Senna, who enjoyed his first full day of testing in F1 at Barcelona yesterday. Senna, the nephew of Ayrton, is hoping to impress Honda bosses enough to win a race seat for next season, probably at the expense of compatriot Rubens Barrichello.
Bruno set the 15th fastest time, and crucially was more than a second faster than Lucas di Grassi, another young Brazilian who is being evaluated by Honda as a possible Barrichello replacement. Senna enjoyed the experience, saying:
“The first day of my first Formula One test has been just as big a moment as I expected it to be. I have also had a lot of fun and really enjoyed myself.
“This morning I focused on doing as much as I could to prepare for my turn. I listened to the team radio and watched and learned how the team works. I was feeling quite calm but on my first lap out of the garage I realised the significance of the moment.
“This is a very special opportunity and one which has been a dream my whole life.”
Ferrari test driver leads the way after first day in Spain
Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer (pictured), filling in for Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa, set the fastest time on the first day of testing at Barcelona.
The 37-year-old Italian, a test driver at Maranello for almost a decade, set the pace early in the morning and held the top spot throughout the day - rain in the afternoon prevented any of the other drivers from setting a serious time.
Yet again the pole sitter won in Spain, a damning indictment of a track that allows almost zero overtaking. Put yourself in Bernie Ecclestone’s tiny, handmade leather shoes – would you scratch the Spanish GP from next season’s F1 calendar? Vote below:
Grid Crasher dishes out the green and red lights after an eventful race in Barcelona
Five winners:
1. Kimi Raikkonen He hardly put a wheel wrong all weekend and kept team-mate Felipe Massa at bay with ease. Seems very happy with the set-up of his Ferrari now, which is ominous news for the rest of the field. Who can stop him retaining his world title now?
2. Lewis Hamilton As we predicted, the British driver bounced back after a nightmare race in Bahrain – his gutsy move on Robert Kubica essentially ensured a place on the podium. However, the McLaren is still a good half second off the pace of Ferrari, which means he could struggle to climb higher than the third step this season.
