UpdateF1 >> Formula 1 News > Kovalainen fastest on first day

Renault head Ferrari and Honda

Heikki Kovalainen set the pace for Renault on the opening day of the final test of 2006.

A busy day saw ten teams testing at Jerez, Spyker again the absentees, and the young Finn looking comfortable with a time half a second faster than next man Luca Badoer in the Ferrari.

Giancarlo Fisichella in the second Renault set fifth fastest time of the day, and Felipe Massa in the second Ferrari managed seventh best.

Third and fourth place went to the Honda duo of Christian Klien and James Rossiter, the team continuing the good form they have displayed in the previous two tests, and just behind Fisichella in sixth place was Pedro de la Rosa, the Spaniard the faster of the Mclarens.

Gary Paffett made a return to the Mclaren team today and managed 11th fastest time.

Nick Heidfeld set the quickest BMW-Sauber time for eighth place, with team mate Sebastian Vettel in 12th, and the top ten was rounded off by the two Toyotas of Jarno Trulli and Franck Montagny.

Although Kovalainen’s fastest time was half a second ahead of the next man, the gap from first to twelfth was covered by just over a second.

Kazuki Nakajima put in more miles for Williams-Toyota, and as the only runner for the team today returned a respectable 13th best time just ahead of fellow Japanese Takuma Sato in the Super Aguri.

Red Bull had only Michael Ammermuller running today, the German setting 14th best time in the old RB2, but media attention was focused on the ‘junior’ Toro Rosso outfit where Champ Car ace Sebastian Bourdais joined Tonio Liuzzi for a much publicized outing.

Unsurprisingly Liuzzi finished fastest of the pair with Bourdais, having his first run in an F1 car for some time, seven tenths behind the Italian.

Written: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 16:52:02