Button on Top at Paul Ricard - Day Two

Briton Jenson Button posted the quickest time of the second day of testing at the Paul Ricard circuit in southern France, in a session that was again hit by rain.

BAR driver Button joined the programme today, replacing British test driver Anthony Davidson, who was forced to abandon the test after he pinched a nerve on his back on the opening day. Button took over at the wheel of the Honda-powered 006, setting a fastest time of 1:33.954.

Williams' test driver Antonio Pizzonia was second quickest as the Grove-based squad continued with their preparations for the Monaco Grand Prix. Pizzonia worked alongside Spaniard Marc Gene, both testing different tyre compounds and working on a set-up programme with the FW26.

Alexander Wurz was the fastest of the McLaren drivers with the third best time of the day, while Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa, quickest on Tuesday, finished down in sixth place after 90 laps, the most covered by a driver today at the French track.

Renault joined the test with Franck Montagny, while Toyota were in action with Olivier Panis and Ricardo Zonta, who were fourth and eighth fastest respectively at the wheel of the TF104. The Renault driver was fifth quickest and conducted limited development of onboard electronic systems.

"It was unfortunate to begin our test with a wet day after our recent test at Silverstone was adversely affected by the weather, but we made the best use possible of the day, testing tyres and software," said Renault's Christian Silk, chief test engineer.

"We will hope the weather will improve tomorrow in order to evaluate new car and tyre developments in optimum conditions."

Nick Heidfeld took over from Jordan's test driver Timo Glock, but the German driver's day was cut short after he lost control of his car in the wet and ended up hitting the wall. Heidfeld was uninjured, but the rest of the day was spent repairing damage to the EJ14.

Testing continues tomorrow.

Today's times:

Pos Driver Team-Engine Tyres Time Laps 1. Button BAR-Honda (M) 1:33.954 72 2. Pizzonia Williams-BMW (M) 1:34.130 87 3. Wurz McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:34.511 69 4. Panis Toyota (M) 1:35.132 34 5. Montagny Renault (M) 1:35.583 36 6. de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:35.657 90 7. Gene Williams-BMW (M) 1:35.850 85 8. Zonta Toyota (M) 1:37.033 51 9. Heidfeld Jordan-Ford (B) 1:37.383 48 All Timing Unofficial

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