Slippery track catches Montoya out

The Colombian's toil was highlighted by a high-speed spin at the first corner, which he attributed to the track conditions.

"It's been a difficult day," he admitted. "I am struggling with the balance of my car a little almost everywhere on the track. Due to the slippery nature of this circuit I spun and went off into the gravel, which caused me to lose track time."

Ralf Schumacher had a minor off, but ended the session less than a second off the ultimate pace in fifth. Williams traditionally runs heavier than its rivals during Fridays, so he's optimistic that the team looks on good shape for the weekend.

"Today everything went according to plan," he said. "At present we are still not sure about out tyre choice. All in all the car is not so bad but there is still some work ahead of us."