Force India had a productive Sunday in Jerez, though suspension failure ended the session prematurely for Paul di Resta.
The Scot finished slowest on the final day, almost 3.3 seconds off Rubens Barrichello’s quickest time, but he did manage to cover 99 laps which pleased the team.
“Today’s objective was increasing the mileage on the VJM04 by carrying out some race run simulations,” said Dominic Harlow, the teams circuit engineering director.
“The weather was slightly blustery and so performance running was difficult, and we also ran through a variety of systems tests as well as using the DRS wing for the first time, which appears to be working well.”
Di Resta claimed the day a success despite the result: “Another productive day with a lot more miles on the car. At the moment that’s what it’s all about – giving ourselves a clear direction and getting as much data as we can on the performance of the new car on different fuel loads.
“We’re not going for times, rather fine-tuning the balance and set-up, plus getting to grips with a few development items we will use at the next test, including the DRS [drag reduction system].”
In the closing hour, the session was red-flagged after the DTM champion skidded into the gravel trap with a suspension failure which meant he couldn’t complete his last simulation.
“Unfortunately we couldn’t do our final run of the day when something broke on the front of the car and I skidded into the gravel,” he said. “It was a shame and the team will look at it now, but until that point we were improving with each run.”
