Ricciardo and Chilton on top at Snetterton
23 June 2009Daniel Ricciardo and Max Chilton finished testing at Snetterton as the first and second quickest drivers in the final test session of the day. The Carlin duo worked through a substantial test programme to end the final session at the top, while their times put them second and third respectively over the day. Henry Arundel was also amongst the front runners in sixth place, while Philip Major made his first official appearance with the team at Snetterton.
Following a hectic early summer programme that has seen the British F3 team race on three consecutive race weekends, today's official test at Snetterton followed a welcome weekend off for Carlin's British F3 drivers. The four car team were back on form from the outset this morning though, with Ricciardo and Chilton both setting times within the top four in the morning session.
As the Carlin squad perfected their Snetterton set-up after lunch, Arundel joined the front runners - with a time that put him sixth overall. Ricciardo and Chilton once again demonstrated the pace that has seen them record five podiums collectively this season, by setting the first and second fastest times of the afternoon session respectively.
Speaking about the day, Ricciardo said, "I think we found some things that worked today, and some things that didn't, which I guess is what testing is about. It was a good boost to finish the afternoon at the top of the time sheets, but we're still looking to make further improvements - we still have some work to do to pull out a gap before the race."
Team mate Max Chilton added, "We had a good day today, and we worked through a lot of things. We're confident that we've got a good car for qualifying which I think we showed with a new tyre run at the end of the afternoon which put us second. We've also been working on a race set up on old tyres, so I think we've made some good progress and I'm looking forward to coming back for the race."
Carlin Director Martin Stone said, "The team did another good job today and worked through a comprehensive test programme. To see two cars at the top of the timesheets at the end of the afternoon is encouraging, but today was really about what finding what worked and the drivers and engineers are happy with the progress we made. It was Philip's first official test with the team and the first chance he has had to work alongside the whole team and his new team mates, and he did a great job to get used his new surroundings so quickly."
Carlin's British F3 team will return to Snetterton for rounds nine and ten from 4 - 5 July.