Sabtu, Februari 14, 2009

McLaren's Hamilton fastest again

McLAREN'S Lewis Hamilton was fastest in Formula One testing in Spain for the second straight session as drivers continue to familiarise themselves with the season's new cars.The F1 champion wrapped up the four-day testing session at the Jerez Circuit with a fastest lap time of 1 minute, 19.632 seconds from 117 laps.Former teammate and local favorite Fernando Alonso of Renault was next, followed by Nico Rosberg of Williams and Red Bull's Mark Webber. Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima also tested.Webber drove for the second time since undergoing off-season surgery for a broken leg. The 32-year-old Australian managed 92 laps despite an early mechanical problem.Sebastien Bourdais set a fastest lap of 1:17.472 in Toro Rosso's last session involving their 2008 car.Alonso was particularly pleased with his drive after having the slowest showing of any 2009 model on Thursday. Cars have undergone a series of changes to comply with new regulations on aerodynamics and a return to slick tires. At the Bahrain International circuit, Ferrari, BMW Sauber and Toyota were all able to seriously test for the first time since Tuesday after sand storms had affected running the past two days.

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was fastest with a time of 1:33.325 ahead of Toyota's Jarno Trulli and Christian Klien of BMW Sauber.


AP