Autoweek: Dixon test
Richard Cheese
in his career. Dixon drove a 2004 Williams-BMW at Paul Ricard in
southern France Friday (April 26). Dixon ran 30 laps. After several
laps Dixon got his times down in to the 1:15 range, about three
seconds slower than the typical F1 test driver.
TigBits
"Richard Cheese" <Richar...@LoungeAgainstTheMachine.organ> wrote in
message news:a611c0e1b8034d05...@news.teranews.com...
(stolen from a poster named "Ade" on news.F1ingers.com)
Paul Ricard testing - 26/03/04
1. J. Button - BAR Honda - 1'10"846 - 80 laps
2. R. Schumacher - Williams-BMW - 1'11"330 - 144 laps
3. A. Davidson - BAR Honda - 1'11"623 - 48 laps
4. S. Dixon - Williams-BMW - 1'11"753 - 59 laps
5. P. de la Rosa - McLaren-Mercedes - 1'12"038 - 96 laps
6. A. Wurz - McLaren-Mercedes - 1'12"256 - 22 laps
7. R. Zonta - Toyota - 1'12"427 - 57 laps
8. F. Montagny - Renault - 1'12"524 - 141 laps
Ralfie is toast.
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TigBits
(o)Y(o)
TigBits
From Autosport:-
Reigning IRL IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon was wowed by his first
experience of a Formula 1 car at Paul Ricard on Friday, saying the
Williams-BMW FW26 was "very different and very cool" from what he's used
to.
Dixon, who is tipped to be in the running for a seat at Williams in
2005, began lapping in the 1m21s bracket this morning, but had set a
best time of 1m12.806s by the middle of the afternoon. This compared
well to regular driver Ralf Schumacher, who did a 1m12-dead on newer
compound Michelin tyres.
When asked for his first impressions of driving an F1 car, Dixon told
autosport.com: "It is very different and very cool! Especially in the
first few laps, the car is so different to what I'm used to; it is just
overwhelming the way it stops. I think the brakes are probably 100 times
better, and the car handles a lot better. It is a lot more nimble,
because you know how light the car is - probably a couple of hundred
kilos lighter than a Champ Car - which makes the difference. It has a
lot more grip too."
Dixon suffered a small gearbox glitch this morning, and had a new engine
fitted for his afternoon runs. He suffered with his neck muscles
(quipping: "I haven't turned right for a year or so!") and has promised
to work on his fitness before his next test at Barcelona next month.
"The big thing was getting used to the speed on the car on these tyres,"
he added. "It is a strange feeling. Grooved tyres have totally different
characteristics [to slicks]. The car is very much on the edge, but most
of the time is very nimble. It feels nice to drive - it is a proper race
car."
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TigBits
(o)Y(o)