Mixed Reactions in Formula 1 after Mugello Test

There appears to be no universal reaction to the testing by teams and drivers from this week's Formula 1 test at Mugello. LotusTeam LotusUnited Kingdom, 2009 > present1 model
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is buoyed by two days of success by Romain Grosjean, but teammate Raikonnen did not mind missing the chance at practice. The rest of the grid was equally polarized. Red BullRed BullAustria, 2004 > present12 models
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Boss Christian Horner found the test to be a waste of money, while driver Mark Webber found the three days of testing at Mugello valuable. 

The leader in testing was undoubtedly Lotus driver Romain Grosjean. He did not drive during the first, wet day of testing on Tuesday, but he took over the wheel on Wednesday and Thursday to set fastest lap times both days. Raikonnen was not used during the testing but did not seem to mind, and Raikonnen's absence gave Grosjean more time in the seat. 

"The more time I spend in the car, the better I feel. It's only my first season so the more time I spend in the car it's better for me," said Grosjean.

"We didn't have any major new parts to test and we don't race at Mugello so I was not crying when it was decided that I wouldn't test. I know the track well but there was no need for me to drive. I am here to race and that is what I will do in Barcelona," said Raikonnen. 

The SauberSauberSwitzerland, 1970 > present21 models
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team also had a good performance during testing. On Wednesday, Kamui Koybashi and Grosjean set identical fastest times during the day. The team was sixth fastest on the wet first day with Kobayashi, and it was fifth fastest on Thursday with Sergio Perez. The team updated the car with new wings, bodywork, exhaust outlet and rear diffuser.

On the other end of the spectrum was Red Bull and Christian Horner. The team was legitimately fast during all three days of testing. The team was second fastest on Tuesday, third and fourth on Wednesday and second fastest again on Thursday. However, team boss Christian Horner thinks that the whole thing was a waste of money. 

"Mugello is a great venue, a lovely track and the drivers enjoy it, but I think in the scale of things is it right to be testing in-season? If you look at the focus on cost saving, this test hasn't achieved that for any team. Moving forward we should look at whether or not in-season testing is the right thing to be doing," said Horner. 

Driver Mark Webber echoed his boss' sentiment about the drivers liking the track. At the same time Webber kind of insinuated that Abu Dhabi might not be his favorite track. 

"Did 10 dry laps today around Mugello, which is the same as doing 1000 laps around Abu Dhabi track in terms of satisfaction.#realtracks #fast," said Mark Webber on his Twitter.

HRTHispania Racing TeamSpain, 2009 > present1 model
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skipped the testing in order to set up a new headquarters in Madrid, Spain. 

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We will not really know about how testing went for the teams until the Spanish Grand Prix next week. The teams are always keeping something hidden in testing, but it appears that Lotus might have made the push to be on the podium at Catalunya. 

Alonso Fastest in Wet First Day of F1 Testing at Mugello

Source: Autosport (1,2,3,4,5)