Coulthard upbeat about first day

The British ace, who is already believed to have signed a letter of intent with the team although not yet a final contract to race for 2005, was seventh fastest overall at the end of the day's running - and encouragingly just three tenths slower than McLaren replacement Juan Pablo Montoya in his old car.

Speaking to autosport.com about his experience, Coulthard said: "It's been good. I'm just seeing how things are, but I'm not very comfortable with the foam seat that I have. But I'm just learning things."

When asked whether he could give any firm verdict on the 'R5', Coulthard was pretty coy. He said: "It's too early to say anything about it."

Coulthard is due to test again on Thursday and there is a possibility that he may also join the team for action on Friday. His importance to the team was shown on Wednesday when Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz made a flying visit to Jerez to check on Coulthard's progress.