Coulthard Optimistic of Strong Weekend

The Briton, whose run of points-scoring finishes came to an end at the San Marino Grand Prix, ended practice a promising sixth overall, with teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi down in 14th.

"It was a positive session for us today and I feel good about this weekend," admitted Coulthard. "We managed to go through the entire tyre test that we wanted and I got a good idea of our strategy for the rest of the weekend.

"The car feels OK and we look to building on today's result."

Although Liuzzi's position on the time-sheets may not have been what he wanted, he was equally happy with his day.

"I  was  quite  happy  with  my  session," said the Italian, who found out on Thursday that BAR's exclusion from the San Marino Grand Prix secured him a points-scoring finish on his debut. The  car  was  well balanced. 

"I  feel  much  better  at  this event after testing last week in Jerez. Actually, I think we are a little bit better than in Imola. We made a few changes to the car, but I guess the other teams have also made progress, so we have to see how we do on Sunday."

Red Bull's third driver, Christian Klien, was second quickest in first practice as he focused on qualifying performance, before slipping down the order thanks to an electronic problem to finish second practice 16th.

He said: "The first session went quite well, I simulated qualifying and we adjusted the balance. The car was  good  to  drive  and  I  think  I  had  a  reasonable  lap. 

"In the  second  session  I  did  a  tyre comparison with two long runs. The first one and the beginning of the second was quite good. I  think  the  car  was  quick  in  this  configuration,  but  then  I unfortunately  had  an  electrical problem and suddenly the engine stopped.

"Compared to the last race in Imola we could be better here, but Barcelona is the test track for everybody so we still have to fight very hard."