Coulthard Shatters Barcelona Record - Morning Session

McLaren's David Coulthard smashed Barcelona's track record this morning, improving the record by more than half a second.

Scot Coulthard set a time of 1:15.674 - 0.674 better than the time set by Alex Wurz, also with McLaren, earlier this year. He is also the first driver ever to set a time at the current Barcelona circuit that is less that one minute and sixteen seconds, and even this morning the second fastest driver - Juan Pablo Montoya - was more than 1.5 seconds slower than Coulthard, setting a laptime of 1:17.372.

The final of three days of testing at the Catalan track saw the return to the wheel of former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, who joined test driver Anthony Davidson for the team's testing programme. Villeneuve's morning time was eighth best.

BAR also ran the newly crowned Formula Nippon champion Ralph Firman, and the 27-year-old was the last on the timesheets in the morning, after only 20 laps.

The final of three days at the Catalan track continues this afternoon.

Today's times:

Pos Driver Team-Engine Tyres Time Laps 1. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:15.674 36 2. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 1:17.372 44 3. Pizzonia Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:17.481 46 4. Panis Toyota (M) 1:17.992 22 5. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 1:18.065 47 6. Paffett McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:18.236 37 7. Gene Williams-BMW (M) 1:18.400 53 8. Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 1:18.905 47 9. Webber Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:18.924 40 10. Davidson BAR-Honda (B) 1:19.675 5 11. Alonso Renault (M) 1:19.860 48 12. Monteiro Renault (M) 1:21.853 39 13. Firman BAR-Honda (B) 1:23.098 20 All Timing Unofficial

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