Conditions hinder Jaguar's assessment

In the morning both drivers made it into the top 10, but in the drier afternoon session they slipped down the order and finished 13th (de la Rosa) and 15th (Irvine).

The Ulsterman, who was far from enamoured with the car after its first test at Barcelona last week, admitted that it's easier to drive but not necessarily quicker.

"The rear end is more stable on the entry but it is way too early to say really what the true story is," he said. "For sure, we have got a lot more downforce but it is being able to use it which is the important thing and we probably can't use all the potential. We'll find out tomorrow what the true issue is."

The second practice session also highlighted a possible advantage for the Bridgestone intermediate tyres over the Michelin rubber that Jaguar uses, and Irvine cited this as another variable the team has to take into account.

"We don't know whether it is a tyre issue or a circuit issue, so we have just got to hopefully have a dry session tomorrow when we can do some laps," he added.