Wurz Quickest at Valencia with Old McLaren - Day Two

Austrian Alexander Wurz set the pace on the second day of testing at the Valencia circuit, where five Formula One teams were in action today.

Wurz, who began working at the Ricardo Tormo circuit on Tuesday, was today at the wheel of the revised McLaren MP4-16 chassis, lapping more than 1.5 seconds quicker than teammate David Coulthard with this year's MP4-17 machine. The Scot was fifth quickest and caused the session to be stopped once after suffering a mechanical problem.

Brazilian Felipe Massa was second fastest, only a tenth behind Wurz, as the Sauber team continued with the development work of their Ferrari-powered C21 chassis in preparation for the Austrian Grand Prix.

"I had another very good day today, with no problems at all," said Massa. "The car was running very well and we were able to try a number of configurations including different qualifying set-ups and also a lot of tyre work. We tried new tyres from Bridgestone that will be available to us in Austria."

Massa's compatriot Antonio Pizzonia, quickest on the first day of work at Valencia, was third fastest today with the Williams. The test driver will be replaced on Thursday by Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya.

"A somewhat disappointing day clocking up only 31 laps," said Williams test team manager Tim Newton. "We were unable to work through all the tasks we set ourselves but hope for a better day tomorrow."

The Jaguar team joined the test today with both Pedro de la Rosa and Eddie Irvine. The Spanish driver was around 1.5 seconds faster than his teammate, both working at the wheel of the Cosworth-powered R3.

Renault drivers Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso were sixth and seventh respectively, the Italian causing two of the four red flags today after an "off" and a mechanical problem in his R202.

"This morning went extremely well," said Trulli. "Although the engine problem meant I didn't run this afternoon, I'm pleased with the balance we found, and it's a shame we couldn't get more done. Even so, I'm my knowledge and understanding of the car is improving all the time."

Today's times:

Pos Driver Team-Engine Tyres Time Laps 1. Wurz McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:11.533 90 2. Massa Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:11.663 76 3. Pizzonia Williams-BMW (M) 1:12.878 31 4. De la Rosa Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:12.924 73 5. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:13.135 67 6. Trulli Renault (M) 1:13.569 57 7. Alonso Renault (M) 1:13.638 55 8. Irvine Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:14.446 54 All Timing Unofficial

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