Webber upbeat after private RBR test

The team launched their 2009 car several weeks later than most of the other front-runners. Although they were adamant that the additional time spent in the design process would make up for the missed track mileage, they have now recouped some of their testing disadvantage thanks to this week's low-key session.

Webber drove for the first two days, and was positive about his fitness as he continues to recover from the injuries sustained in a cycling accident last November.

"I'd say the car development is coming on well and so is the Mark Webber Leg Development programme," he said.

"This was the first time I've driven for two days in a row and that went well and there were no ill effects afterwards.

"The leg is getting more and more normal with every passing day and hopefully, by the time we get to Melbourne, I should have the equivalent of six or seven grand prix distances under my belt."

He added that Red Bull's work at Valencia had included some particular attention to Australian Grand Prix preparations.

"We worked through some stuff that was a bit more specific to Melbourne, as the Valencia track is pretty good for this, being quite easy on rear tyres," said Webber.

His teammate Sebastian Vettel took over for the second half of the test, but was unwilling to make predictions about Red Bull's progress.

"We have done a lot of laps, but we must continue to work hard at the upcoming tests," he said. "Really, it won't be until we all run in Australia that we will see where we are compared to the others."

The team did not release any times from the test.