Badoer tops first day of Barcelona test

The Italian test driver moved to the top of the timesheets with a 1:22.412 during the morning, and continued to lead for the rest of the session, which saw little action in the final hour due to late rain. He spent most of the day focusing on aerodynamic developments.

Fresh from his Montreal victory, Robert Kubica took second place in the BMW Sauber, 0.2 seconds slower than Badoer. The Pole stopped with a mechanical problem early in the day, but was able to continue running after repairs.

David Coulthard and Sebastien Buemi were third and fourth for Red Bull Racing, having shared the single car. Buemi drove in the morning and stopped on track twice, before handing over to Coulthard for the afternoon. The Scot took third despite managing only 21 laps before the rain.

McLaren test driver Gary Paffett completed the top five, ahead of ex-Super Aguri driver Anthony Davidson on his return to testing duties for Honda.

GP2 racer Romain Grosjean had his first full day of testing for Renault, but was delayed with an apparent engine problem early on. He eventually completed 60 laps and was eighth-fastest, between Williams' Nico Hulkenberg and Toyota's Kamui Kobayashi.

"It was a great day and I'm grateful for this opportunity to test the R28 and work with the team," Grosjean said.

"It was interesting to see the difference between a GP2 car and an F1 car which is quite incredible, especially the acceleration and the lateral grip.

"The team made me feel very welcome and everyone was helpful as they knew it was my first time in the car. It was a great experience for me."

                    
Pos  Driver      Car                      Time      Laps
 1.  Badoer      Ferrari             (B)  1:22.412  82 
 2.  Kubica      BMW Sauber          (B)  1:22.682  69 
 3.  Coulthard   Red Bull-Renault    (B)  1:22.724  21 
 4.  Buemi       Red Bull-Renault    (B)  1:22.764  79 
 5.  Paffett     McLaren-Mercedes    (B)  1:22.938  36 
 6.  Davidson    Honda               (B)  1:23.208  81 
 7.  Hulkenberg  Williams-Toyota     (B)  1:23.619  112
 8.  Grosjean    Renault             (B)  1:23.899  60 
 9.  Kobayashi   Toyota              (B)  1:24.442  82 

All timing unofficial