Ralf Schumacher proved in testing that his new TF107 car could be a force to be reckoned with in the coming season. Schumacher topped the testing times on the third day of Valencia testing – the first day where the track has been dry and the conditions sunny all day.
Ralf completed 60 laps with a fastest lap of 1:11.297. However, it wasn’t all plain-sailing. A fuel-pump problem and a series of red flags on the circuit interrupted his work throughout the day. Overall, he remained positive about how the testing had gone. “We had a few minor issues today but in general it was a positive day. The car again felt good and in the afternoon I had the chance to work on set-up which seemed to go quite well,” he said.
“I am still optimistic about this car’s potential but it is too early to say where we stand compared with the others. It was nice to set the fastest time of the day but we still have a lot of work to do.”
Fisichella and Kovalainen completed another good day for Renault, finishing with the second and third fastest times respectively. Alonso, who has been topping the times in the past few days of testing, had to settle for fourth, four-tenths off the top time, while Nick Heidfeld finished another good day in his BMW, coming in fifth.
Kimi Raikkonen still appears to be struggling with the new Ferrari and was over a second off the pace, clocking his fastest lap at 1:12.360. However, he did suffer from technical problems in the afternoon which restricted the amount of laps he could complete.
Day 3 – Valencia track times
1. Ralf Schumacher, Toyota, 1:11.297
2. Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault, 1:11.522
3. Heikki Kovalainen, Renault, 1:11.648
4. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:11.710
5. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:11.993
6. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:12.360
7. Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren, 1:12.361
8. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:12.418
9. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 1:12.846
10. Jenson Button, Honda, 1:12.924
11. Anthony Davidson, Super Aguri, 1:13.143
12. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:13.450
13. James Rossiter, Honda, 1:13.716
14. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:13.801
15. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:13.944
