Heidfeld: Finally I could drive the new BMW Sauber.
Nick Heidfeld got his first go in the new BMW Sauber F1.09 on Friday, as the outfit moved into day three of its four-day exclusive test in Valencia.
With gusty winds reaching 50 km/h, the scheduled test programme had to be changed and the main focus of the morning's work switched from set-up to reliability. As such Nick completed several long runs to put more mileage on the new F1.09.
Nick Heidfeld got his first go in the new BMW Sauber F1.09 on Friday, as the outfit moved into day three of its four-day exclusive test in Valencia.
With gusty winds reaching 50 km/h, the scheduled test programme had to be changed and the main focus of the morning's work switched from set-up to reliability. As such Nick completed several long runs to put more mileage on the new F1.09.
In the afternoon the weather improved slightly and Heidfeld was at last able to work on the mechanical set-up, his initial impressions very positive.
"Finally I could drive the F1.09 for the very first time," Heidfeld said after completing 92 laps. "We still have a lot of work to do, but we are making progress with each kilometre and the reliability is already there.
"Overall the F1.09 handles quite differently to last year's car. Fortunately I managed to work on the set-up in the afternoon. The most important result after my first day of testing is that the car reacts as intended to set-up changes."
The BMW Sauber F1 team will now conclude its four-day test in Valencia on Saturday.
