Valencia, day 1: Test starts wet

It was a miserable day in southern Spain, with the ambient temperature a cool 12 degrees Celsius and the overcast skies creating a dull mood. The rain was almost incessant - only a brief period after lunch was rain-free and this allowed Michelin's Antonio Pizzonia and Alex Wurz to set the fourth and fifth best times respectively. Eddie Irvine, also a Michelin runner, was third fastest, but his lap of 1m34.74s was set during a one-lap blast, on average his times were in the 1m36s.

Unsurprisingly given the conditions there were a number of spinners. However, most ended harmlessly in the gravel trap. The only driver to damage his car was Renault test driver Fernando Alonso, who aquaplaned on the main straight, hitting the pit wall almost directly beneath the Renault timing monitors!

Luckily the Spaniard was OK, but his mechanics will be in for a long night's work to repair the car for Wednesday.


Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas B 1m33.03s 37
Takuma Sato Jordan-Honda B 1m33.59s 74
Eddie Irvine Jaguar M 1m34.74s 32
Antonio Pizzonia Williams-BMW* M 1m35.45s 50
Alex Wurz McLaren-Mercedes* M 1m36.08s 50
Marc Gene Williams-BMW M 1m37.15s 39
Fernando Alonso Renault M 1m37.23s 16
Allan McNish Toyota M 1m38.41 50
Anthony Davidson BAR-Honda B 1m38.57s 49

B = Bridgestone
M = Michelin
* 2001 car