Vettel positive after first RB5 test

Sebastian Vettel described his impression of the new Red Bull-Renault RB5 as 'positive' after his first full day of testing in the car at Jerez yesterday. Vettel, who managed only 14 laps in Monday's shakedown before stopping with a gearbox problem, completed 61 laps on Tuesday.
He was fastest of the four 2009-specification cars running, ending up second on the timesheets behind Sebastien Buemi's 2008 Scuderia Toro Rosso, despite missing the last half-hour after a problem with a gearbox sensor forced him to stop on track.

"The first impression is positive," he said when asked by autosport.com what he thought of the car. "We made big progress, we did a lot of laps taking into consideration that the car just finished its build on Monday morning. "Unfortunately we had to stop before the end of the session, but so far the feeling is good in the car."

Despite being impressed by the RB5, Vettel believes it is too early to make any performance comparisons with his rivals.

"It's the first day, so let's keep our feet on the ground," he said. "It's difficult to say where we will be. The other teams are starting to find their way, but for us it's a long way. "It was important to have some laps and collect some data, but after one day it's way too early to judge."

Source: autosport.com

Red Bull RB5 Pictures

Bernie's dream battle: Vettel vs Lewis

If Bernie Ecclestone could pick any battle he would want to see, the F1 supremo reckons it would have to be Lewis Hamilton versus Seb Vettel - and in the same car. While Hamilton won last year's Drivers' Championship title with McLaren, Vettel, at the other end of the grid, was making a name for himself with Toro Rosso. The German driver clinched both pole position and the victory at the 2008 Italian GP, pulling off what many believed no Toro Rosso driver would ever do.

This year, though, Vettel is off to Red Bull with Hamilton remaining at McLaren. However, if Ecclestone had his own way F1's two young stars would be up against each other in the same machinery in a battle royale. "Young Vettel is fantastic. I think he is super talented and ballsy," he told the Daily Telegraph. "It would be interesting if we could see him in the same car as Lewis Hamilton. Just as it would have been to see (Ayrton) Senna and (Michael) Schumacher in the same car."

Source: planetf1.com