Valencia 4: Pacy Pizzonia

"We are improving [the tyres]," said Williams test driver Pizzonia. "It is is difficult to judge them here because Valencia is not so hard on tyres. The last time I drove a wet test was in Jerez which made the rear tyres very prickly. But compared to last year we have made a big jump. We are getting very, very close to Bridgestone."

Pizzonia spent the day setting times around 0.2s quicker than his McLaren counterpart de la Rosa and ended the day with a fastest lap of 1m25.586s. De la Rosa was also consistent, but after the technical problems he encountered yesterday, was merely happy to have completed 112 laps in the MP4-19.

"It is getting better," said de la Rosa. "Everytime we test we find something new. Although the tyres are improving it is difficult to say how much compared to Bridgestone, but I think we are getting closer."

Ricardo Zonta was third fastest in last year's Toyota ahead of Renault's Franck Montagny, also running a year-old car.

Anthony Davidson spent the day seething on the sidelines after damaging his car early-on. Michelin miscalculated the amount of water sprayed onto the circuit by the sprinklers and what was supposed to be a damp track was more suited to monsoon tyres. Davidson, on intermediates, aquaplaned off the circuit on his outlap and broke the monocoque running over a kerb.

The day's running was halted to observe five minutes silence at 13:05 for those who died and were injured in the Madrid train bombings yesterday. All the team's personnel lined up on the pit straight to pay their respects.

Antonio Pizzonia Williams 1m25.586s 91
Pedro de la Rosa McLaren 1m25.824s 112
Ricardo Zonta Toyota* 1m27.007s 125
Franck Montagny Renault* 1m27.210s 135
Anthony Davidson BAR** 1m10.850s 5
*2003 car
**hybrid car