Daniel Ricciardo put his Toro Rosso top on day two of the young driver/tyre test with a 1:32.972 after completing 48 laps in the morning.
The Australian then climbed into the Red Bull and posted the third quickest lap of the day to put his name on the timing sheets twice. Despite the RB9’s superiority over the STR8, he was two tenths slower.
The pressure of the unofficial audition for the Red Bull seat next year may have shown after Ricciardo ran off track in to the gravel at Luffield.
Carlos Sainz Jnr split Ricciardo’s times after he took over the STR seat, posting a lap under a tenth slower.
Davide Valsecchi climbed into the Lotus and got off to a rather amusing start when his radio stopped working. He was unaware and failed to pit for several laps, despite the Lotus crew frantically signalling for him to do so from the pit wall. He finished fourth fastest.
F1 regulars Pastor Maldonado, Nico Hulkenberg and Paul di Resta were also in action and finished ninth, 10th and 14th respectively.
Thursday Test Times:
| # | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | D. Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | 1:32.972 | 48 |
| 02 | C. Sainz Jnr | Toro Rosso | 1:33.016 | 39 |
| 03 | D. Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1:33.187 | 59 |
| 04 | D. Valsecchi | Lotus | 1:33.554 | 91 |
| 05 | O. Turvey | McLaren | 1:33.864 | 97 |
| 06 | J. Calado | Force India | 1:33.957 | 47 |
| 07 | A. Feliz da Costa | Red Bull | 1:33.958 | 19 |
| 08 | D. Rigon | Ferrari | 1:34.053 | 97 |
| 09 | P. Maldonado | Williams | 1:34.116 | 71 |
| 10 | N. Hulkenberg | Sauber | 1:34.224 | 52 |
| 11 | D. Juncadella | Williams | 1:34.631 | 33 |
| 12 | R. Frijns | Sauber | 1:34.731 | 17 |
| 13 | W. Stevens | Caterham | 1:36.082 | 98 |
| 14 | P. di Resta | Force India | 1:36.356 | 41 |
| 15 | R. Gonzalez | Marussia | 1:37.949 | 92 |
Discussion about this post