Nico Rosberg topped the final day of testing in Barcelona in torrid conditions, before the 2011 Formula 1 Season gets under way.
Any significant running that might have been done, was unfortunately curtailed due to the monsoon weather conditions that prevailed. As such, the Mercedes driver only ran 35 laps in the afternoon; however the German seemed pleased with the knowledge gained on wet tyres in the session.
Rosberg was partnered at the test by teammate Michael Schumacher, who completed five installation laps in the morning, prior to examining potential race weekend scenarios with his engineers.
During the washout, Williams’ Pastor Maldonado ventured out on track for 23 tours of the Catalan circuit, with a best of 1:44.333. The run was quite significant for the Venezuelan for it was his first time running in wet conditions at the wheel of an F1 car.
Lewis Hamilton rounded up the top three in his McLaren Mercedes, but with the on track water levels running deep, potential for aquaplaning was rather high. With that, the team decided against long runs.
For the few Spanish fans in attendance, Fernando Alonso managed five installation laps bringing plenty of cheers from the grandstand, but with little to learn, Ferrari wrapped everything up early.
Dampers for Hispania Racing’s 2011 charger remained in customs, meaning the small team were unable to do any running.
It may seem easy to say, but as with every year, testing times mean nothing. There is painfully little to take from the times that teams set over these sessions as one will never know what programme a team is on at any particular time.
Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap Laps 1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m43.814s 35 2. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m44.333s + 0.519s 23 3. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m44.560s + 0.746s 33 4. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 5 5. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 5
