By Phil Huff
January 29 2003

Sauber Petronas began its third Spanish test of the new season in Valencia (Spain) today. On this occasion both Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen had one of the new 2003 Sauber Petronas C22 cars at their disposal. Nick Heidfeld, in chassis 01, covered 59 laps with a best time of 1:13.134, while Heinz-Harald Frentzen in chassis 02 covered 81 laps with a best time of 1:12.855.

Jacky Eeckelaert (Head of Vehicle Engineering) said "We are pleased at the weather conditions. They have been pretty good here today. It´s been very sunny in the morning and gusty winds in the afternoon."

"Nick could not complete our scheduled program of aerodynamic testing because of a minor problem and we had to call him back into the pits to change the engine. This morning Heinz-Harald focused on mechanical set-up work and continued this afternoon with a program of dampers and tire testing."

Driving chassis 02 Hienz-Harald Frentzen commented "Between us, Nick and I, arrived at good settings, both mechanically and aerodynamically, which has enabled us to get the car ready for tomorrow."

Nick Heidfeld suffered from wind, saying "We are making reasonable progress. But it is not easy with a weather like this, because you really need consistent conditions and the wind has denied us them today."