Both of
Honda Racing
F1's regular race pilots have classed this week's
Silverstone group test as a step in the right direction as they attempt to get the team back into the midfield battle in the British Grand Prix.
Although
Rubens Barrichello managed to net some points in the unpredictable Canadian Grand Prix, both he and, more especially, team-mate
Jenson Button have struggled to keep up with anyone except
Force India in the past two races - in Montreal and at Magny-Cours - and are hoping that the Silverstone test will pay dividends for the British round in two weekends' time.
Honda joined its rivals in running a three-day test at the Northamptonshire circuit, with its two race drivers conducting all the running as the team focused on the latest developments for the RA108, along with specific preparation for the forthcoming races.
"The Silverstone test was an important one for us this week as we had a number of new performance developments to evaluate in the areas of aerodynamics, chassis and engine," chief engineer Steve Clark commented, "We were fortunate to have three dry days in order to maximise the running, however conditions for the test were quite difficult with strong and variable winds. This affects the balance of the car from run to run so it can be tricky to confirm the more subtle set-up changes.
"Additionally, we had both types of the
Bridgestone Potenza tyre options for the race available here, giving the opportunity to conduct some comprehensive evaluation, which will leave the British Grand Prix weekend free for performance tuning."
Button began the test on Tuesday by working through a series of aerodynamic evaluations around the 17 turns of the Silverstone grand prix circuit, and continued the aero work into Wednesday, before moving onto a comprehensive tyre programme with both the prime and option tyres which will be used at the British Grand Prix.
