On the first day of pre-season testing, Australian Toro Rosso test driver Daniel Ricciardo made a significant impression by finishing fourth fastest, a second ahead of Toro Rosso’s fulltime driver Jamie Alguersuari.
Regarded by many as the next Australian likely to secure a full-time ride in Formula One, Ricciardo had a stellar performance on Thursday, completing laps at the Jerez circuit in 1m21.755 seconds, just two-tenths behind fellow countryman Mark Webber who secured third place.
In 2011, Ricciardo will take on Friday practice and test responsibilities for the ‘other Red Bull team,’ Toro Rosso, but if he continues to outperform the full-time drivers, he may find himself in a race seat sooner rather than later.
On day one of the pre-season test, all drivers expressed their support for injured F1 Renault driver Robert Kubica, who is expected to miss a significant portion of the 2011 season due to a severe rally crash in Italy.
During the four-day test, Lotus Renault will consider Nick Heidfeld, Bruno Senna, and Pedro De La Rosa as potential replacements for Kubica, with Nick Heidfeld being the most probable candidate for the position.
Unofficial Thursday test times from Jerez:
1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:20.709
2. Sergio Perez, Sauber, 1:21.483
3. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:21.522
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:21.755
5. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:21.914
6. Jaime Alguersuari, Toro Rosso, 1:22.689
7. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:23.472
8. Vitaly Petrov, Renault, 1:23.504
9. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP, 1:23.963
10. Jarno Trulli, Lotus, 1:24.458
11. Timo Glock, Virgin, 1:25.086
12. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:34.968
by Buford Balony
