Buemi says he is getting better

The Swiss, whom Scuderia Toro Rosso owner Dietrich Mateschitz last month said is "very likely" to be handed a race seat with the team, topped the timesheets on both Tuesday and Wednesday, the first time he has outpaced fellow STR hopefuls Sebastien Bourdais and Takuma Sato.

"I am getting better," said Buemi. "I have a very good feeling with the car now and I have tried to improve myself since the Barcelona test.

"Driving a Formula One car is something different and I'm not someone who has had some seasons before. Now I have a lot of running - at the beginning that is very important.

"The objective of the team is to allow me time to learn. We do some setup adjustment for me to understand how that car will react. That's important for me because I can learn, rather than just test things."

Buemi also says that setting fastest times is a major boost for the confidence as he builds towards a possible debut season in F1.

"It's good," said Buemi when asked by autosport.com what it feels like to see his name ahead of the likes of Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso and his rivals for the Toro Rosso drive.

"I've been second or third a couple of times but to be first is a great feeling, especially the first time.

"It is also important because, although nobody wants to show it, there are three guys competing for two seats so it is not easy.

"I am getting used to F1 now so why should I be slower [than Sato and Bourdais]? Maybe I did a perfect lap and maybe I didn't, but in the end to be in front of them is good for me.

"But I won't get crazy about it. I will still look at where I am losing time to them and try to improve."