Testing continued for a second day at the 4.655km Circuit de Catalunya, again with all ten teams present and just 1.7 seconds covering the fastest nine runners.

Kimi Raikkonen set the pace today for Ferrari, recording a best lap of 1:20.314s on his 35th lap of the day. The Finn's best lap is a fraction quicker than Nick Heidfeld's 1:20.338 recorded on Monday but his scheduled programme came to an early halt with a KERS problem.

Kazuki Nakajima picked up the pace for the Williams Toyota team, lapping just six-tenths off Raikkonen's best and nearly two seconds quicker than yesterday.

After a long winter waiting for news on the former Honda team, Rubens Barrichello was back behind the wheel of an F1 car for the first time since the Brazilian Grand Prix last year. Armed with the new Brawn Mercedes, Barrichello stopped on track early in the day but soon resumed the test programme to complete an impressive 111 laps in the new machine, recording the third fastest time.

Jarno Trulli was fourth best today in the Toyota ahead of Mark Webber who lost time in the morning session when his Red Bull Renault ground to a halt on circuit.

After a trip back to the pits on the back of a low-loader, the Australian was back on track again running the enlarged 'shark fin' engine cover first seen Monday that continues up to and then over the top of the rear wing.

Nick Heidfeld was back behind the wheel of the BMW Sauber after setting the pace on Monday. The F1.09 today also featured a shark fin engine cover, something that looks like it will become as common in 2009 as it was last season. Heidfeld was sixth fastest ahead of Adrian Sutil in the Force India Mercedes.

After just one day in the car, Nelson Piquet handed over the Renault R29 to former champion Fernando Alonso today as the Spaniard recorded the seventh best time.

While Lewis Hamilton received his MBE from the Queen, Heikki Kovalainen was back on track for McLaren Mercedes, the team completing race simulation work including pitstops as they prepare for the Australian Grand Prix.

With flow visualisation paint streaking the right hand side of the MP4-24, Kovalainen posted the ninth fastest time ahead of Sebastien Bourdais was another driver to lose time as the new Toro Rosso Ferrari STR4 stopped on circuit.

Bourdais would only complete 14 timed laps over the day while rookie team-mate Sebastien Buemi completed a few shakedown laps in the STR4 without recording a lap time.

Testing continues on Wednesday.

Barcelona - 10/03/2009
1 . K. Raikkonen - Ferrari F60 - 1:20.314 (+ 0.000 ) - 55 laps
2 . K. Nakajima - Williams Toyota FW31 - 1:20.907 (+ 0.593 ) - 66 laps
3 . R. Barrichello - Brawn GP Mercedes BGP001 - 1:20.966 (+ 0.652 ) - 111 laps
4 . J. Trulli - Toyota TF109 - 1:21.182 (+ 0.868 ) - 121 laps
6 . M. Webber - Red Bull Renault RB5 - 1:21.347 (+ 1.033 ) - 66 laps
7 . N. Heidfeld - BMW Sauber F1.09 - 1:21.615 (+ 1.301 ) - 127 laps
8 . A. Sutil - Force India Mercedes VJM02 - 1:21.834 (+ 1.520 ) - 82 laps
9 . F. Alonso - Renault R29 - 1:21.834 (+ 1.520 ) - 111 laps
10 . H. Kovalainen - McLaren Mercedes MP4-24 - 1:21.991 (+ 1.677 ) - 88 laps
11 . S. Bourdais - Toro Rosso Ferrari STR4 - 1:23.039 (+ 2.725 ) - 14 laps
12 . S. Buemi - Toro Rosso Ferrari STR4 - No Time (+ N/A ) - 6 laps.

Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International

 

Wow, looks like the Brawn GP car is shaping up to be one quick mother-shut-yo-mouth!

 

This is shaping up to be another unpredictable season...EXCELLENT!

 

How bout it! Pretty amazing considering how everything has played out for them. But I guess like Brawn said, they knew they would be in good shape in 09 at the end of last year.

 

i wouldn't put too much stock into practice

 

any photos of the red bull car?

 

Me either. I would however put LOTS of $$$$ on Hamilton winning again in '09!

 

f1fanatick.co.uk has super high quality photos constantly updated vtgs. No affil.