Mugello, day 1: Kimi sets the pace

Championship leader Kimi Raikkonen sounded a warning note to Ferrari on the first day of testing at the Mugello circuit in Italy today (Tuesday), with the McLaren ace's MP4-17D outpacing the new F2003-GA driven by Luca Badoer

The Finn, who was concentrating on set-up and tyre comparison work, set a fastest lap of 1m22.805s at the Italian circuit, outpacing Badoer by 0.189s. The Italian was concentrating on set-up work as Ferrari prepares its new car for its planned race debut in Spain.

Alex Wurz was also in action for McLaren, but was unable to complete his planned set-up programme as he was not feeling well. The Austrian left the track shortly after lunchtime, and Pedro de la Rosa will stand in for him tomorrow.

Olivier Panis set the third fastest time for Toyota, the Frenchman also working on set-up and tyre selection for Spain. Team-mate Ricardo Zonta worked on the car's aerodynamic balance when running heavy fuel, after the team encountered problems during the San Marino Grand Prix. Zonta told autosport.com: "We found a couple of things which are good, and which we'll use in future races."

The team is attaching great importance to making progress in the test, with both Ove Andersson and general manager Norbert Kreyer in attendance. Speaking to autosport.com, Kreyer attributed the team's Imola problems to a "lack of speed," before confessing that: "we have a lot of work to do."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen was the slowest of the runners at the test. The German was running a new front wing as he began a major aerodynamic development programme for Sauber. "At the moment we're just analysing the results to improve the aerodynamic balance of the car," Frentzen told autosport.com. "It is a small improvement but we're just looking at the data at the moment."

Testing continues tomorrow, with Jaguar's Mark Webber and the BAR duo of Jacques Villeneuve and Jenson Button due to join the test. Ferrari are planning to run a second car for Rubens Barrichello or Felipe Massa, while Cristiano da Matta will replace Zonta at Toyota.

Kimi Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes M 1m22.805s 71
Luca Badoer Ferrari B 1m22.994s 82
Olivier Panis Toyota M 1m23.142s 93
Alex Wurz McLaren-Mercedes M 1m23.886s 47
Ricardo Zonta Toyota M 1m23.945s 65
Heinz-Harald Frentzen Sauber-Petronas B 1m24.267s 57

B = Bridgestone
M = Michelin