Imola 2: Schumacher speed

Schumacher lapped in a sensational 1m19.664s during his 98 laps, but said not to read too much into the ultimate pace of the car, despite the fact he broke into the 1m19s barrier twice.

"You can overestimate laptimes like this," he told autosport.com. "This is the fourth test for the car, and the first showdown with the other teams. We have shown that the car is not slow. We've completed some very good work on it, and we've now completed lots of laps.

"You can say we are better prepared than last year, even though we used the old car for the first race. I don't think this [using the new car] will be a disadvantage. We are confident and I'm absolutely looking forward to Melbourne."

David Coulthard was second fastest on the day for McLaren-Mercedes, although the Scot's best time was well over a second in arrears of Schumacher's flyer. He achieved a 1m20.928s while carrying out a back-to-back test with a new front wing and rear suspension components, but also suffered a clutch failure just before lunch.

Williams-BMW's Juan Pablo Montoya was next up with a 1m21.026s, a few tenths quicker than Rubens Barrichello in an old Ferrari. Montoya was concentrating on longer runs than Coulthard, hence why his fastest time was slower, but the concensus was that the Colombian, on average, was still about 1sec per lap off Schumacher's pace throughout a 15-lap stint.

Toyota's Cristiano da Matta and Olivier Panis rounded out the runners present. Da Matta was driving a 2003-spec car, which he damaged slightly during a spin in the afternoon. Toyota stays on tomorrow, as does Ferrari, with test driver Ryan Briscoe replacing Panis.

Michael Schumacher Ferrari B 1m19.664s 98
David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes M 1m20.928s 48
Juan Pablo Montoya Williams-BMW M 1m21.026s 72
Rubens Barrichello Ferrari B 1m21.235s 52*
Cristiano da Matta Toyota M 1m22.165s 62*
Olivier Panis Toyota M 1m24.356s 54

B = Bridgestone
M = Michelin
* denotes 2003 car