Sandstorm stops testing at Sakhir

While the three teams working there were hindered by the wind and the sand yesterday morning, today conditions were worse and they were unable to work at all today.

Kimi Raikkonen, Jarno Trulli and Robert Kubica were allowed to complete an installation lap each, but there was no more action during the day.

"I've never seen a sandstorm in the desert before so this is a new experience for me," said Trulli at the end of the day.

"It's obviously a pity that we have been stuck in the pits both yesterday and today. I went out for one installation lap in the morning and the track was covered in dust.

"My first test in Portugal was also heavily disrupted by the cold and the rain so I'm itching to have a real run in the car. Hopefully tomorrow we will be able to do more work."

The poor conditions have meant a significant hit to the three teams, who believed the extra expenses of travelling to Bahrain would pay off with good weather.

Toyota's technical chief Pascal Vasselon had said ahead of the test that going to Bahrain was the best option for any team.

"For us testing in Bahrain is just the best value for money," said Vasselon. "There is a risk in Europe in the winter of spending your time in conditions that are totally irrelevant in terms of the tyre working window. And this can put in doubt any kind of set-up result you get, because the tyres are not working in the right window.

"For us it is just common sense to test in Bahrain. We would be ready to drop one of the two European test sessions to spend more time in Bahrain. It is the best value for money and the best preparation for the rest of the season."