Barrichello Pleased with Strong Start

Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello was pleased after lapping fastest on Friday as others succumbed to the shimmering desert heat in practice for Formula One's first race in the Middle East.

The Brazilian, second in the Championship behind his Ferrari teammate and World Champion Michael Schumacher, lapped Bahrain's gleaming Sakhir circuit in 1:31.450, beating Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya's Williams by a minimal 0.001 of a second.

"I think the car has been performing quite well on this first day here," said the Brazilian. "I am happy with the set-up, but there is still a lot of work to do, as the track is very dirty, so we are having to second-guess the set-up for Sunday.

"The track has less grip than I expected after walking the track yesterday. But it is not because of the sand, but simply because the surface is still new. It has been a positive day in terms of our work with the tyres, the engine and on set-up."

Barrichello outpaced his World Champion teammate Schumacher - fourth quickest today - as Ferrari enjoyed a trouble-free first day of action in the Gulf kingdom.

"It's been an interesting start on this circuit," said Schumacher, winner of the first two races of the season. "I enjoyed driving and I have to say the track layout is very demanding. It looks like the rest of the weekend will be a great challenge and I am looking forward to that.

"It seems that everyone is very close and from our point of view, we can say we have everything in place to be very competitive."