Barcelona Day 4: Driver Quotes

Red Bull

Mark Webber: "It was cold out there today, I can't remember having a full test day this cold. But actually it was reasonably consistent; the conditions were pretty stable all day, although not very representative of a grand prix weekend. So, unusual conditions but I was happy with what we got done today. The mechanics were incredible in getting through everything. We got a lot of good stuff done today. The boys did a great job – the best I've seen them, I think, so all credit to them.

Ferrari

Felipe Massa: "From Jerez, the car is exactly the same. We didn't change anything really, no new pieces or anything, so the car is exactly the same as we finished Jerez. For sure we understood maybe the little details around the car that maybe we change again for here. It's like an evolution but not with new pieces or anything.

"Anyhow it's really the important time that we can bring new pieces to the car. The car is still 'green' so we need to make the car in a good shape for the first race. There is a lot to work on, there is a lot to do, and maybe it's a very important moment as well for people working on the aerodynamics, on the engine, on the chassis to put everything together in a good direction for the first race."

Lotus

Romain Grosjean: "I spent a lot of time in the car again today, but this time it was in the garage and not out on track. It was certainly cold and slippery out on the circuit and the conditions were worse than we would expect during the season. This at least meant it was a good test of the performance of the wet and intermediate tires.

"I'm happy that we had no issues and the balance of the car is good in these conditions. I'm really looking forward to getting more laps in the car next week and seeing the latest upgrade package as I'm feeling very positive with everything I've seen so far."

Mercedes

Hamilton – Car lacks downforce
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Lewis Hamilton: "The conditions today meant that we didn't complete as many laps we would have done in the dry but we have gone through the test items that we wanted to achieve this week. We have been working on our consistency over long runs and we managed one run this morning on dry tires; the car felt okay but the conditions were also very cool, so we cannot draw too many conclusions.

"Like I said in Jerez, I can feel that we have a good foundation with this car but there is still a lot to learn and we know that the name of the game is to improve our downforce. From a personal point of view, my relationship with the team is growing all the time and it's going really well. I'm happy working with the guys, we are working in the right direction together and I'm pushing to extract the most from the team, just like they are with me."

Sauber

Esteban Gutierrez: "It was a very interesting day for me as well as for the team, because it was important to get some experience in wet conditions. For me it was the very first time I had driven a Formula One car in the wet. It was particularly interesting in the morning, when the track was wet to begin with and then started to dry out.

"I was able to drive with dry tires in very tricky conditions, which was a situation I could experience in a race. It was important for me to feel this change in conditions. In the afternoon I got the opportunity to compare the Intermediate tires with the Full Wets. I learned so much today. This was just what I needed.

Force India

Jules Bianchi: "It was good to be back working with the team today and to feel the car in all conditions when the track was both dry and wet. It's more useful experience for me. We did most of our dry running this morning and then did our aero work this afternoon when the track was wet. We didn't manage to do the long runs we planned because it was so wet, but we still managed to look at a lot of things."

Williams

Valtteri Bottas: "This morning we were focusing on pitstop practice and despite the weather we were able to achieve a lot. The key things to work on as a driver are breaking as late as possible for the pitlane speed limit to minimize the time lost, perfecting your positioning in the box and finally pulling away quickly and cleanly. It's really interesting as there are a lot of things to think about, but the better I get, the more trust you build with the pit crew which means they are able to react even quicker. We'll be doing a few more at the next test but then I feel I will be ready for Melbourne when it comes to pitstops."

Pastor Maldonado: "Today was pitstop practice but it's been good for me and the team to get some training in after the winter break. Overall, I am very happy with the last four days, as we've had no problems with the car and it is looking quite good. We achieved everything we wanted from this test so the whole team is happy. There is still plenty more work to do, but we have a good idea about what we need to do next so I'm looking forward to coming back here next week to continue developing the FW35."

Toro Rosso

Jean-Eric Vergne: "Another productive day, even with the rain. We had many things to test, especially on the aero side and I feel we got some good answers. Later, it was useful for me to drive on the Extreme and Intermediate Pirellis and I got a good understanding of how they behave, even if the conditions were extremely cold, so it was actually surprising we had rain and not snow! Now I am looking forward to the final test, which will be very important for everyone."

Caterham

Giedo van der Garde: "Despite today's weather it's been another relatively productive day. It's certainly been one of the coldest days I've had on track, but even with the cold track temps and the rain that stopped and started we were able to get through quite a bit of work.

"The cold weather meant it might not have been much fun for the fans in the stands, but it was useful to get some laps done on the intermediate tires as it was my first time in an F1 car in the wet, and to experience the car in the wet / dry conditions we had today. We also tried a couple more ideas to help improve the rear stability but, again, as the tires weren't really coming up to temperature we weren't able to push too hard today.

"Even with the weather today it's been a fairly good test for us. We're steadily working through the plan, making sure we're covering everything we need to and now we have a lot of information to help us prepare for the final test back here in Barcelona next week."

Marussia

Max Chilton: "We've had four important days of running here in Barcelona in which we ticked a lot of boxes and gathered some very useful data. We may not have had the mileage that some teams have achieved, but we've have worked through a lot of different items and the detail of this work will be vital in preparing us for the next test here with the new aero package and ensuring we're in good shape for the opening race of the season.

"I'm looking forward to coming back next week and hopeful that we can achieve more mileage and explore the performance a little more. My thanks to the Team for a good week."