Barcelona 1: Gene over Schu
Williams was the first Formula 1 team to try out the altered Barcelona circuit as it tested its pair of FW26's today (Monday). The new machine continued to impress, although the team will have to wait until tomorrow to compare it to the opposition
Test driver Marc Gene, on his first run in the 2004 challenger, had the better of Ralf Schumacher around the Spanish track, which features a slightly shorter back straight, followed by a tighter corner.
"It might improve overtaking," said Schumacher. "It's hard to say because it's still so new. You almost come to a standstill now, and the braking distance is longer."
The lap time does not appear to have been heavily affected by the change. The best lap recorded around Barcelona's earlier layout was a 1m15.020s tour by Michael Schumacher.
Gene was delighted with his first taste of the new car: "It's very quick. I am happy with it - it is easy to drive. We have not even played with the set up yet."
Renault, Jaguar, Toyota and Sauber will all run their new cars tomorrow. Ferrari will also be testing at the Spanish track.
Marc Gene (Williams-BMW) 1m15.928s 76
Ralf Schumacher (Williams-BMW) 1m16.176s 49
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