Barcelona Test: a wet and quiet morning

All twelve Formula One teams were back on track today for the first of four days of testing on the Circuit de Catalunya, north to Barcelona.

The session got off to a slow start as the track was still pretty wet at 9am, following overnight rain. The teams took the opportunity to test Pirelli wet and intermediate tyres and completed some valuable laps with these compounds.

The drivers were really cautious at first and then gently upped the pace as the track conditions improved. Some teams, like Renault, practiced their pit stops and tyre changes procedures.

Team Lotus and Heikki Kovalainen suffered from another teething problem on their T128 as it developed a water leak – just like at Jerez last week. Meanwhile at Force India, Paul di Resta couldn’t complete a single lap. Shortly before the lunch break, Rubens Barrichello was forced to park his Williams FW33 at Turn 7.

As the track was closed for lunchtime, at 1pm, Fernando Alonso was top of the list. Fellow Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari was 2nd fastest, much to the delight of the Spanish fans. Button was third fastest ahead of reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel.

The track will reopen at 2pm for a further three hours of testing.

The FOTA members are due to meet today at Barcelona. They might decide to cancel the forthcoming Bahrain test and to reschedule it in Spain, possibly on the Circuit de Catalunya.

Fastest lap times at 1pm :