Jerez, day 1: Wurz quickest

High winds meant that the track was frequently swept with dust, especially during the afternoon, but in spite of the conditions Wurz was able to complete 66 laps. He spent most of his time working on suspension set-up, as well as some tyre testing, which could come in useful at Hungary where temperature might match the 40 degrees it reached in Spain today (Tuesday).

Alonso also worked on baseline set-ups and he did almost as many laps as Wurz, covering 64 in total. Marc Gene set a time of 1m23.54s for Williams to take third. The only other driver present was Darren Turner, who was getting a rare drive for McLaren. The Brit spent most of his day performing practise starts, so his lap time of 1m26.03 was not representative of his ultimate pace.

Luca Badoer was in action for Ferrari as the reigning champion continues its relentless tyre testing. The Italian did 81 laps of the team's Fiorano test track, 24 on the short course, setting a best time of 1m23.980s.


Alex Wurz McLaren-Mercedes M 1m22.53s 66
Fernando Alonso Renault M 1m23.16s 64
Marc Gene Williams-BMW M 1m23.54s 61
Darren Turner McLaren-Mercedes M 1m26.03s 53

M = Michelin
B = Bridgestone