Nick Heidfeld was the only other driver in action, completing 30 odd laps, as he began the first test with the Sauber C24B, fitted with a
BMW P86 V8 engine. In the morning Heidfeld had no problems, however in the afternoon engineers stopped the programme early due to concerns with the engine. The German's best lap was a 1m 21.356s, around eight tenths slower than the McLarens.
"After an almost three-month break I could hardly wait for the first test," said Heidfeld. "The chassis and engine ran without any problems in the morning. All the systems were working perfectly.
"Of course you can tell the difference in performance compared to the V10. That's something you just have to get used to. A positive surprise is that the engine vibrates a lot less than I had expected. In the afternoon we had to break off work early when the engineers spotted a problem in the data and told me to switch off the engine."
Testing now continues on Tuesday, when Williams-Cosworth,
Toyota, Red Bull-
Ferrari and Toro Rosso will join proceedings.
Leading times (28 November) - Barcelona:
1.
Gary Paffett McLaren-Mercedes
1min 20.586secs 57 laps
2.
Alex Wurz McLaren-Mercedes
1min 20.665secs 10 laps
3.
Nick Heidfeld Sauber-BMW
1min 21.356secs 30 laps
[all drivers on Michelin tyres.]
Track conditions: Sunny and cold.
All times unofficial - courtesy of the Circuit de Catalunya website.
Comparative lap times:
Spanish GP 2005:
