Ralf Outpaces da Matta at Silverstone

German Ralf Schumacher outpaced Brazilian Cristiano da Matta on the first day of testing at the Silverstone circuit in England.

Schumacher was at the wheel of the BMW-powered Williams FW25, concentrating on set-up work for the Canadian Grand Prix. The German driver covered 52 laps and finished more than 1.5 seconds ahead of da Matta, who was the only other man on track today.

"Despite intermittent rain throughout the day, we have had quite a productive session in terms of mileage," said Sam Michael, Williams' chief operations engineer. "We managed to make some progress with the aero testing as well doing some work on the electronics of the car before ending the day with engine endurance running."

Brazilian da Matta concentrated on re-acquainting himself with the British circuit, also working on general set-up and aerodynamic tests. The current CART champion completed 74 laps, with a best time of 1:24.227.

"We managed a lot of laps today and completed our entire task list, working on some aero tests and just on me reacquainting myself with the track," said da Matta at the end of the session. "I haven't driven at Silverstone since F3000 in 1996 and it is good to be back.

"I like the track a lot and I have missed driving here. The weather wasn't great today with some rain, but that's what Silverstone is all about isn't it?"

Testing will continue tomorrow.

Today's times:

Pos Driver Team-Engine Tyres Time Laps 1. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 1:22.613 52 2. da Matta Toyota (M) 1:24.227 74 All Timing Unofficial

Visit Atlas F1's Testing Center for further information