Fifty-six laps completed without woes and the 9th fastest lap overall: that’s the quickest possible recap of another busy day of work for ISR in Alcaniz, where the Czech team is taking part in the first official test of the F.Renault 3.5 season. After enjoying a quite warm weather yesterday, this morning Jazeman Jaafar and the team’s staff were welcomed at Motorland Aragon by chilly wind gusts and a damp track, as a result of a strong rain shower that struck the whole region during the night.
That meant a delayed start for today’s running as nearly all the WSR outfits waited for the tarmac to dry-up a bit before sending their cars out of the pits. With the first laps on used slick tyres being turned as late as 11 o’clock, ISR worked harder than ever to complete today’s programme, a routine that focused on trying different setup solutions in order to understand how to make the most of the new softer tyre provided by Michelin for the 2014 season.
Despite not having quick laptimes as his primary aim, Jaafar managed to stay in the top 10 in both the morning and the afternoon session, closing the day with a 1’39″205 as his best performance.
Jazeman Jaafar: S1 – P6; S2 – P9
“The damp track and the delayed start in the morning weren’t exactly good news for us, but I’m quite happy because in the end we coped with the reduced track time without drama. In the morning the car felt really good, allowing me to climb to P6 without pushing too much. In the afternoon we focused completely on tyre development, aiming to find the best way to quickly bring the new 2014 compound to its ideal temperature window. I’d say that we made some good progress in that respect, even if there’s still room for improvement”.