Hülkenberg and Sauber team pleased with day three's testing on Circuit de Catalunya

Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber C32

Photo by: XPB Images

21st February 2013 – Nico started the day testing aerodynamic components. He then tried the soft tyres for the first time on this track and set the second best time of the day. In the afternoon he mainly concentrated on long-runs with high fuel loads. He covered 91 laps.

Tom McCullough, Head of Track Engineering: "Overall it was a very productive day, which is particularly important as the forecast suggests rain is likely tomorrow. As in previous days, we have used the initial running for data gathering of new aerodynamic parts while the temperatures were low. For the first time at this test we used the soft Pirelli tyre, which performs well for the first timed lap. The high tyre degradation makes testing difficult, but that is the same for everyone and we have to adapt to it. Nico and the engineers continued to make good progress with the car set-up and he will now hand the car back to Esteban for the final day of the test.”

Nico Hülkenberg: "It was a positive day. We got a lot of testing done with just minor problems. I ran the soft tyres in the morning here in Barcelona for the first time to get a feeling for those, which was interesting. The car is performing pretty well, and I‘m as happy as I can be."

What comes next: Tomorrow, Esteban will be back at the wheel of the C32 for the final day.

Test in Barcelona – Day Three
Circuit: Circuit de Catalunya, 4.655 km
Driver: Nico Hülkenberg
Weather: Mainly overcast, air 8-15°C, track 9 -19°C
Chassis/engine: C32-2/Ferrari 056
Laps today: 91
Fastest lap: 1:22.160

Sauber F1