Jerez, day 1: Schumacher sets pace

Ferrari chose to test at the twisty Jerez track primarily because of its similarities to the winding in-field section of the Indianapolis road course. Schumacher spent the morning working on general set-up, before embarking on a Bridgestone tyre evaluation programme in the afternoon.

The Japanese company brought 12 different compounds of tyre featuring four different constructions to the test, in its efforts to develop its rubber for the race at Indy.

Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld tested a new front suspension system, and also worked on some new aerodynamic parts that Sauber is planning to introduce for the final two races.

I had a small problem with the drive train this morning, but apart from that it was a very good test," Heidfeld told autosport.com. "It's looking good for Indianapolis and Suzuka. We tried some pieces for Japan as well as this is our final test of the year."

Toyota test driver Ricardo Zonta will be the Japanese manufacturer's sole representative at Jerez this week. He spent the morning doing set-up work and relearning the circuit, before starting work on aerodynamic developments in the afternoon. Zonta had the only incident of the day, when driver error led to a brief off.

BAR will join in the running at the track tomorrow, when Ferrari will also begin testing at Jerez and Monza.

Michael Schumacher Ferrari B 1m19.265s 100
Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas B 1m20.211s 62
Ricardo Zonta Toyota M 1m21.110s 73