Bahrain day four - Massa ends test on top
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa leapt to the top of the timesheets, as this week’s four-day test in Bahrain drew to a close on Thursday. Massa lapped the Sakhir circuit in 1m 32.162s to finish ahead of the BMW Sauber of Nick Heidfeld.
The Brazilian spent the day experimenting with several aerodynamic solutions and evaluating set-up options. And although a few minor glitches caused some disruption to his programme, he covered 113 laps in the F60.
Heidfeld, meanwhile, completed 122 laps, as he concentrated on the F1.09’s suspension and aerodynamics. He also found time to carry out a couple of practice starts and some long runs.
Wednesday’s quickest runner, Timo Glock, ended the test down in third for Toyota. After a spell of near-perfect reliability for the team, Glock’s session was disrupted by a problem with the TF109’s hydraulics system and the German managed to cover just 65 laps.
"It was a pity that our last day of work here was disrupted but this has still been a very successful test for us,” he said. “Today we missed much of the day's action due to a hydraulics problem so it was a shame to lose running time. But the mechanics did a good job and when we made it onto the track we put in some useful work.
"Overall we have put a lot of miles on the TF109 this week. We've made good progress with set-up and I'm confident that this can continue."
With the test in Bahrain now over, the three teams will head back to their factories to continue their preparations for the forthcoming season, ahead of the next multi-team session at the Spanish circuit of Jerez from March 1.
Unofficial Thursday times from Bahrain:
1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:32.162
2. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:32.225
3. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:32.445
