Winter testing starts with a whimper…

Four teams and five drivers reported for work this morning: Jaguar brought cars for Luciano Burti and test driver Tomas Scheckter; Jordan fields new tester Ricardo Zonta for the first time; Arrows gives erstwhile Minardi driver Gaston Mazzacane a run-out, and Benetton test driver Mark Webber will attempt to put miles on Renault's new, wide-angle V10.

With Jaguar and Benetton running on Michelins, Silverstone marks the first time the French company goes head to head with Bridgestone since embarking on its F1 return. But with current conditions, today's test could be little more than a brief comparison of wet weather performance.

Heavy rain at the 10 o'clock start meant only Mazzacane's Arrows and Scheckter's Jaguar ventured out during the first 90 minutes. Argentinian Mazzacane, who is linked to a full-time test seat with the Leafield-based squad, completed a handful of installation laps, while Scheckter stopped the session and had to be towed back to the pits after spinning on an out lap.

The rain eased an hour into the test, but streaming conditions meant that neither Benetton or Jordan opened their garages in the first hour and a half of testing.