The Spaniard took over the cockpit of the R28 from Nelson Piquet for the final day of running as the team completed its final preparations ahead of next week's British Grand Prix. The team again benefited from warm and sunny conditions for most of the day, although like yesterday the windy conditions continued to make for tricky track conditions.

Despite a few interruptions during the day, the team was able to get through its scheduled programme as Fernando worked on improving the balance of the car and general set-up work. The team will now concentrate on analysing the data gathered over the last three days to be in good shape for the British Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso: “It was a good day's work. We spent the day working on improving the set-up of the car to be ready for the race next week and all the changes that we made took us in the right direction. By the end of the day I was much happier with the car. However, the track conditions were quite difficult as it was windy here today, but that is what you get at Silverstone, and we will have to cope with this in the race. It was also quite cool and I think it may be hotter for the race next week, but we are as well prepared as we can be.”

Christian Silk, Chief Test Engineer: “We lost some track time in the morning, but the afternoon went well and so we were able to complete most of what we needed to. Again we concentrated on preparation for the Grand Prix to get the car well balanced and to Fernando's liking, and he was happy with the changes we made to the car. So it has been a good test, we've made a lot of progress and that puts us in a good position for the race next week.”

Panasonic Toyota Racing today wrapped up its three-day test at Silverstone with another busy session. Timo Glock took the wheel for the last day of the test, completing the team's work on aerodynamics and set-up for next week's British GP. The weather was kind and the circuit stayed dry but Timo's morning was interrupted when he lost his rear wing in a collision with David Coulthard's Red Bull. That caused a two-hour pause while the team carried out a precautionary rebuild of the TF108's rear end. During the afternoon Timo worked on tyre comparisons in preparation for the race, setting the second fastest time. Toyota will return to action at the same circuit for next week's British Grand Prix.

Timo Glock - Chassis TF108-04
Best lap time: 1m 19.815s
Position: 2nd
Total laps: 79
Total distance: 406.1km
"That was a good day's testing for us. The wind made it quite tricky because it was quite inconsistent but in the end we collected some important data and we are happy with the car. We had a problem this morning when I had a collision with David Coulthard. It was a misunderstanding - when I turned in at the end of the Hangar Straight David was there. I just didn't see him so I apologise for that. The mechanics did a really good job to get the car back into shape and they worked hard all day because we had a lot to do. We've made a good step in the last couple of weeks and the last two results have given the team a boost. Now we have to keep up the form at Silverstone next week."

Gerd Pfeiffer, Test Team Manager
"This was another positive day, despite the fact that we lost running time this morning after Timo's collision with David Coulthard. Timo lost his rear wing in the impact and we rebuilt the rear end of his car as a precaution. He returned to the track before lunch and the afternoon was more productive as we carried out further set-up and tyre comparison work for next week's British Grand Prix. Overall this test has been successful and we have made some useful progress. Now the team can head into the race with confidence."
Nick Heidfeld
Chassis / engine: BMW Sauber F1.08-05 / BMW P86/8
Test kilometres today: 478 km (93 laps)
Fastest lap: 1:21.011 min

Programme:
Today's test schedule was completed 25 minutes before the end of the day's running and the team was happy with the results. Nick Heidfeld drove for the first time this test and he worked on set-up for the next Grands Prix, aerodynamics, scanning of different mechanical set-ups and tyres. The wind was strong for the second day running, so this made the work on aerodynamics extremely difficult. However, the comparison work between the different Bridgestone tyre compounds went well, and the team has a good idea of what choice to make for the Silverstone race. In total the team has completed 242 laps of testing, which is 1,244 kilometres, over the three days.

What comes next:
With the final day of the test over, the team's focus now turns back to racing. The next event is the British Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit on the 6th July

This week's test, conducted by race drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, allowed the team to focus on the latest developments for the RA108 car, along with preparation for the forthcoming races.

Jenson began the test on Tuesday working through a series of aerodynamic evaluations around the 17 turns of the Silverstone circuit. He continued the aero work on Wednesday, before moving onto a comprehensive tyre programme with the Bridgestone Potenza prime and option tyres which will be used at the British Grand Prix. Jenson completed 195 laps of the 3.194-mile circuit over his two days in the car.

Rubens took over at the wheel of the RA108 on Thursday for the final day of the test. After an initial installation run to ensure that he was comfortable with the set-up of the car and get a feel for the grip levels around the circuit, he continued the aerodynamic programme, alongside further evaluation of the tyre options. Rubens completed 94 laps.

Jenson Button
"We had a good two days in Silverstone this week and it felt great to be back driving here. Silverstone is one of the only fast and flowing circuits left, along with Spa and Suzuka, and I absolutely love it. Our focus this week was to evaluate the new aero parts that we will have on the car for the forthcoming races. We've found some improvements, even in the windy conditions that we had on the second day, and I'm happy with the direction that we have taken. I have a few days of training now and after that I'm looking forward to my home race in front of a sell-out crowd."

Rubens Barrichello
“We had a positive day at Silverstone today. The car performed well and I could feel an improvement from the new aerodynamic parts that we were evaluating, even with the strong winds. We concentrated on achieving a good balance for the combination of high speed and low speed corners that you have here. I love driving at Silverstone so I am looking forward to the race next weekend and hopeful that we can achieve a better result than in France.”