Jerez test - day three: 5 April.
The final day of testing at Jerez did not quite go the same way as its counterparts at Silverstone and Magny-Cours but, as the afternoon cloud rolled in, it was Giancarlo Fisichella's Benetton which came out on top.
The Italian concentrated on evaluating the team's Michelin tyres and found a new compound which the team hope to use at the San Marino Grand Prix next weekend. Fisichella proved to be more than half a second quicker than nearest challenger Eddie Irvine, and was pleased with the way his test had gone.
The final day of testing at Jerez did not quite go the same way as its counterparts at Silverstone and Magny-Cours but, as the afternoon cloud rolled in, it was Giancarlo Fisichella's Benetton which came out on top.
The Italian concentrated on evaluating the team's Michelin tyres and found a new compound which the team hope to use at the San Marino Grand Prix next weekend. Fisichella proved to be more than half a second quicker than nearest challenger Eddie Irvine, and was pleased with the way his test had gone.
Irvine and Jaguar team-mate Luciano Burti filled the next two places, both drivers working on entirely separate programmes. Irvine concentrated on tyre testing, while Burti focused on developing new front-end aerodynamic pieces for the R2-Cosworth.
Jenson Button brought up the rear in the second Benetton, after focusing his attention more on the development of the B201 engine and traction control systems than outright performance and tyre set-ups. Despite being over a second slower than Burti's Jaguar, the Briton was happy enough to have achieved some promising results.
Leading performances (5 April):
Giancarlo Fisichella Benetton-Renault 1min 21.958secs 91 lapsEddie Irvine Jaguar-Cosworth 1min 22.761secs 44 lapsLuciano Burti Jaguar-Cosworth 1min 23.031secs 38 lapsJenson Button Benetton-Renault 1min 24.36secs 36 laps
[all drivers in 2001 cars and on Michelin tyres]
