Gene happy with first day

The Spaniard, who is filling in for the injured Ralf Schumacher, ended the day 14th fastest, a tenth slower than team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya.

"We had no easy running today but in spite of the continuously changing track conditions, I managed to have a long run and we still gathered some useful information and data about tyres and set-up," said Gene. "However, it is difficult to say where everyone is, since the track was different in different moments. I am quite pleased with my performance, but I was one of the first to go out on dry tyres. Now we are looking at the set-up for tomorrow."

Williams' technical director Sam Michael said: "Marc did a good job. With the limited mileage we have covered today, the new aero parts we have brought to Magny-Cours are working fine. It's too early to say how competitive we are here; we'll see tomorrow."