Circuito de Jerez - 22/11/12

Day one of the final GP2 test of 2012 provided valuable information for the Caterham Racing GP2 team as they fielded Caterham F1 Team Test Driver Alexander Rossi and GP2 racer Simon Trummer.

The morning began slowly and the first session was delayed by 45 minutes due to fog hampering visibility at turns 6 and 7. The fog lifted but the track remained greasy and Caterham Racing, along with the majority of teams, waited until conditions improved before starting their test programme.

Trummer spent much of the morning becoming acquainted with the car while Rossi worked on adapting his style and car setup to the abrasive 4.423 km circuit. Both drivers completed over 24 laps during the morning session which concluded at midday.

The afternoon session got underway at 2pm with the sun shining and temperatures soaring to 22 degrees providing very different conditions to the earlier session.

The drivers made good progress with both improving on their morning times and at the flag Rossi and Trummer were placed 11th (1:27.257) and 22nd (1:27.920) respectively.

Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer "The team have prepared well for our final test here in Jerez and it has been great welcoming Simon to the team. Operationally everything has run smoothly today and we have been concentrating on our own testing programme rather than chasing times. Both drivers have had a productive day and we are all looking forward to tomorrow".

Alexander Rossi "After the fog cleared we spent most of the morning evaluating the progress we made in Barcelona, focussing on finding the best balance for the afternoon. The competition was good, with one second covering the top 18. I'm not satisfied with my overall lap time today, P11 is not indicative of our pace, but I'm confident we've found a good balance for tomorrow."

Simon Trummer "This is my first time in a GP2 car with a new team and it has taken a little time to adjust to the car but I have learnt lots today and enjoyed working with the Caterham Racing team and my engineer. I didn't quite find the pace on new tyres and tomorrow I will work on adapting my driving style and getting the best out of the Pirelli tyres.

Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett " We have had a productive day and completed our test schedule as planned without the interruption of red flags, which is unusual here in Jerez. I am very happy with the feedback from both drivers and they have improved and adapted to the circuit throughout the day. We are very close in terms of lap times and will continue with our program tomorrow carrying through everything we have learnt today.

ENDS