F3 Euroseries rookie champion Kamui Kobayashi showed well on only his second Formula One outing at Jerez this week, as the Toyota Young Driver Programme ace made no mistakes on the slippery surface and outperformed both Ferrari drivers into the bargain.

Following a torrential downpour in the morning, Kobayashi and Ralf Schumacher were the first to hit the track as they braved installation laps on their new Bridgestone wet tyres. With more meaningful running later on, both drivers continued to make good progress as the track dried out.

“My two days here went quite well,” 20-year-old Kobayashi enthused after setting the 11th-fastest time of the 17 drivers present, just six tenths of a second adrift of Schumacher and ahead of such as Felipe Massa, Luca Badoer, Mark Webber and David Coulthard no less. “I had to find a suitable driving style for Formula One and I tried out different set-ups until I found one I liked. I also had experience of new tyres which I enjoyed and I think it went well.

“Considering this was my first time at Jerez and only my second test with Toyota, I think I did a good job. But of course I can still improve and I need more experience with the car.

“During my two days here the Toyota team has been fantastic – everyone in the team is a professional, from the mechanics to the engineers. It was very easy to work with them and they have helped me learn about Formula One.

“In particular I have learnt about the importance of communication when testing and physically I know more about what being a Formula One driver requires. Also a Formula One car is very different from the cars I have driven previously and I have had to get used to traction control and some very specialised parts. I found that a bit tricky on my first test but I have improved this week and all the experience I have gained should really help me in my career.”

Schumacher, for his part, professed himself satisfied with the improvements the team had made during the three-day test, but frustrated that the conditions had prevented more substantial running.

“This morning it was quite difficult to drive because of the rain,” he remarked after lapping fourth-quickest. “There were rivers running across the track and the car was aquaplaning. It was not really possible to use dry tyres until later in the afternoon as the track was still drying and there were too many wet patches.

“It would have made it difficult to compare our results to the information we got earlier this week. The car balance was better today so I think we are making progress, but there is still a lack of grip at this track and with these tyres.”

Test team manager Gerd Pfeiffer, meanwhile, said the inclement conditions had at least afforded the Japanese squad the opportunity to acclimatise to both Bridgestone's wet and slick tyres over the course of the day.

“We were expecting rain this morning and we were not disappointed!” he said. “It was not too bad from a testing point of view because it gave us the chance to gain more knowledge of our wet tyres and that is always useful because it is hard to simulate real wet conditions. Both Ralf and Kamui did well not to make any mistakes on a difficult track and when the circuit dried we were able to return to our programme of testing the new dry tyres.”