Mixed day for comeback kids

Villeneuve, who has replaced Jarno Trulli at Renault for the final three races of the season, endured two scrappy sessions in the R24 as he tried to get to grips not only with a new circuit, but a new piece of machinery too. The French-Canadian finished the day a lowly 15th.

"Today was all about getting to the limit for me: the circuit is new for me, like all the other drivers, but I am still learning about the R24 as well," he said. "Everything was going pretty well by the end of the day and I was setting consistent times, but I still need to work out how to get the best out of a new set of tyres for a single flying lap. That is one of the areas I need to concentrate on before qualifying tomorrow."

While things may not be going so well inside the car, Villeneuve has given the thumbs-up to the Hermann Tilke-designed circuit.

"I think that the circuit itself is gorgeous!" he said. "It includes a bit of everything, with quick corners and slow corners, and it is challenging for the drivers. It is not easy, but you can find a good rhythm, it really flows well."

Williams' Ralf Schumacher on the other hand drove as if he'd never missed the last six races. The German has been recovering from two fractured vertebrae that he sustained after crashing heavily at the United States Grand Prix in June.

In the first session Schumacher recorded the second quickest time, just eight hundredths of a second off pacesetter Anthony Davidson (BAR-Honda). The German dropped to seventh overall following the second hourly-session, but it was surely enough to convince Williams that they'd made the right decision to opt for Schumacher above test drivers Antonio Pizzonia and Marc Gene.

"Everything ran smoothly today," Schumacher said. "The circuit is really well designed. Driving here is a lot of fun as it is something really new, especially the long corners which offer brilliant overtaking opportunities on exit. There is still some work to do on the set-up and the tyre choice is not going to be too easy. All in all we expect a challenging but interesting weekend."