Barrichello on top as Rossi spins

Little running was done in the morning as the rain hit the circuit, but the conditions improved in the afternoon.

The Honda team shone with their new RA106 car, with Barrichello and teammate Anthony Davidson topping the times ahead of Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari.

The seven-time World Champion was the busiest man on track with 87 laps covered as he continued with the development of the new car from the Italian squad. Schumacher's best time, however, was set with an F2004 fitted with a V8 engine, while he was around 0.2 seconds slower with the 248 F1.

Schumacher was joined today by MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi, who was scheduled to test alongside other drivers for the first time. The Italian rider, however, stayed in the pits for most of the day as Ferrari waited for the track conditions to improve.

With 135 journalists covering the test, Rossi finally took to the track with half an hour of the session left, driving the old F2004 fitted with a restricted V10 engine. But Rossi, whose car was equipped with wet weather tyres, did not last long on track, and the Italian spun after only 10 corners.

His Ferrari got stuck in the gravel trap and the session had to be red flagged while the car was rescued and taken back to the pits. Italy's highest paid sportsman will return to action tomorrow.

Kimi Raikkonen was fourth fastest in the McLaren MP4-21, the Finn's day being cut short by a mechanical problem which saw him stopping on track early in the session. He covered only 24 laps and finished nearly two seconds behind Barrichello.

The Williams team began their first proper test with the new FW28 unveiled last Friday, with Australian Mark Webber doing the driving. The team were already in action at Valencia on Monday, but they spent the day filming the new car.

Webber had an encouraging first day and managed 77 trouble-free laps. His teammate Nico Rosberg in the hybrid car fitted with a V8 engine was not so lucky, causing three of the five red flags of the day.

The German went off the track twice and lost an engine late in the day.

Today's times:

Pos  Driver        Team                      Time      Laps
 1.  Barrichello   Honda                (M)  1:19.359   59
 2.  Davidson      Honda                (M)  1:19.996   63
 3.  M.Schumacher  Ferrari              (B)  1:20.358   87
 4.  Raikkonen     McLaren-Mercedes     (M)  1:21.194   24
 5.  Webber        Williams-Cosworth    (B)  1:22.388   77
 6.  Klien         Red Bull-Ferrari     (M)  1:22.599   42
 7.  Paffett       McLaren-Mercedes     (M)  1:23.836   42
 8.  Rosberg       Williams-Cosworth    (B)  1:23.936   75
 9.  Rossi         Ferrari              (B)  No time     0

All Timing Unofficial