Montoya Fastest at Valencia

Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya finished on top of the times as four teams kicked off this week's test at the Valencia circuit.

McLaren driver Montoya, on his only day of work this week, posted a fastest lap of 1:11.336 after 97 laps to finish in front of Frenchman Franck Montagny. The Renault test driver was the busiest man on track as he concentrated on tyre testing for Michelin, covering 118 laps.

Montagny will be joined tomorrow by Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who will get back behind the wheel for the first time since the end of last season, 88 days ago.

"Today, we began what has become the normal tyre evaluation process for 2005 specification tyres," said Renault's chief test engineer Christian Silk. "Our performance runs yielded promising results, with further steps forward in the compounds and constructions, and we will continue our work with longer distance running tomorrow."

The BAR team had two drivers in action, with Briton Jenson Button at the wheel of the new 007 car while teammate Takuma Sato drove the 2005-spec 006. It was a troubled day for the Honda-powered squad, with Button losing an engine while Sato stopped on track with mechanical problems in the afternoon.

Canadian Jacques Villeneuve kicked off Sauber's programme with the new C24, which he tested for the first time last Sunday. The former World Champion covered a total of 92 laps on his way to the fourth fastest time of the day.

"Today was a good and long work day, and much better than my last test," said Villeneuve. "In the morning the handling of the car was a bit difficult, particularly because of the very windy weather conditions, but at the end it was much better.

"However, we still have to work on it. The long-runs we did were consistent and comparative, but the one-lap pace still leaves room for improvements."

Today's times:

Pos Driver Team-Engine Tyres Time Laps 1. Montoya McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:11.336 97 2. Montagny Renault (M) 1:11.418 118 3. Button BAR-Honda (M) 1:12.209 78 4. Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas (M) 1:12.212 92 5. Sato BAR-Honda (M) 1:12.355 84 All Timing Unofficial

Visit Atlas F1's Testing Center for further information