Red Bull Racing has signalled its intent to win both Formula One world championships after Mark Webber set a blistering time to top the third day of testing in Jerez.
Making use of the first dry day of event, Webber demonstrated some of Red Bull s potential with a lap time of 1:19.299 – 0.284s quicker than any F1 driver at Jerez this year.
Webber s day did not run completely trouble free, however, with the Australian breaking down between turns 8 and 9 during the middle of a stint and bringing out the red flag.
Webber s technical problem would be one of a number of stoppages throughout the day s session with Heikki Kovalainen stopping within the opening hour with a clutch sensor failure on his Lotus. Thereafter there would be delays with Nico Hulkenberg and Lucas di Grassi also grinding to a halt out on the circuit.
Fernando Alonso was the closest driver to the Red Bull, but he could only set a time over seven tenths of a second slower in his Ferrari. McLaren s Jenson Button was third with Michael Schumacher down in fifth in his Mercedes. Meanwhile Kamui Kobayashi suffered a torrid day in his Sauber, after a fuel problem meant that he could only manage twenty eight laps.
However the day undoubtably belonged to Mark Webber who gave the first glimpse of Red Bull’s potential to continue the dominant form, which they possessed at the end of last season, into 2010.
The final day of testing resumes tomorrow.
Jerez day three times:
Pos Driver Team/Car Time Laps 1. M. Webber Red Bull Racing RB6 1:19.299 114 laps 2. F. Alonso Ferrari F10 1:20.115 +0.816 132 laps 3. J. Button McLaren MP4-25 1:20.394 +1.095 101 laps 4. N. Hülkenberg Williams FW32 1:21.432 +2.133 137 laps 5. M. Schumacher Mercedes GP W01 1:21.437 +2.138 79 laps 6. R. Kubica Renault R30 1:21.916 +2.617 100 laps 7. A. Sutil Force India VJM-03 1:21.939 +2.640 69 laps 8. K. Kobayashi Sauber C29 1:22.228 +2.929 28 laps 9. J. Alguersuari Toro Rosso STR5 1:22.704 +3.405 120 laps 10. L. Di Grassi Virgin Racing VR-01 1:23.504 +4.205 34 laps 11. H. Kovalainen Lotus F1 T127 1:23.521 +4.222 68 laps
