Williams Kick Off Vallelunga Test

Test driver Antonio Pizzonia was joined by European Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx, who returned to the wheel of a Formula One car, having made his debut with the BMW-powered team earlier this year.

Both men concentrated mainly on set-up work and tyre construction testing ahead of the Montecarlo race.

"This is the first time the team has tested at Vallelunga and it's always interesting to come somewhere new," said Tim Newton, test team manager. "The circuit in Italy bears the closest resemblance to Monaco, the next race on the calendar.

"Antonio worked on set-ups and tyre casing tests while Andy worked on start settings and cooling tests. The pair completed nearly 900 kilometers. On his first day in the FW27, Andy did a good job for the team, especially considering he won the 24-hours race at the weekend and will be at Snetterton for the next two days testing."

Pizzonia completed 142 laps with a best time of 57.664 seconds, while Priaulx covered 132 with a best lap of 58.624.