Timo Glock topped the unofficial timesheet for Toyota on the second day of Jerez testing despite cold weather and heavy rain that disrupted every team’s programme, causing Ferrari to abandon running altogether.
His feat follows a strong performance on day one by Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel who impressed with his first outing in the RB5 and which might offer an indication of the tightness of the 2009 field.
Glock’s fastest lap time was 1:30.979, followed by BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica with a lap of 1:31.327 and Williams’ Nico Rosberg on 1:31.451.
Force India’s Giancarlo Fisichella was fourth with 1:31.547 while Vettel found himself banished to fifth after a change of morning programme inspired by the wet weather.
Another surprise backmarker was McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen, running sixth of seven drivers on 1:33.371, prompting widespread speculation that the team may not have its 2009 design perfected yet.
McLaren said of the test: “With the day washed out by heavy rain, the team’s programme was necessarily limited by the poor conditions.
“Heikki Kovalainen, who unfortunately seems to bring the wet weather with him whenever he tests the MP4-24, spent the day evaluating different brakes and set-ups.
“The rain allowed the team to sample Bridgestone’s new-compound wet (inter) tyre, but offered limited insight into its performance as the persistent rain meant the day was spent largely running on extremes.
“The team also spent time assessing optimum KERS deployment in the wet conditions, which proved highly productive.”
Bringing up the rear for the second day running was Renault’s Nelson A Piquet on 1:33.476 running a programme that was badly disrupted by the rain.
And the teams might not have seen the last of it – forecasts indicate that the weather could continue poor for the rest of the week.
Test times day two
- Timo Glock, Toyota: 1:30.979 (89 laps)
- Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber: 1:31.327 (70 laps)
- Nico Rosberg, Williams: 1:31.451 (114 laps)
- Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India: 1:31.547 (54 laps)
- Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull: 1:32.220 (102 laps)
- Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren: 1:33.371 (91 laps)
- Nelson A Piquet, Renault: 1:33.476 (66 laps)