Mugello/Fiorano test - 18 July.

Ferrari continued its combined preparation/deconstruction test on two fronts yesterday, running cars at both Fiorano and Mugello.

Test driver Luca Badoer continued his role at the private facility, running development items destined for the F1-2000 in the next couple of races. Again, Ferrari remained secretive about the exact nature of the components, but Badoer completed almost 140 laps of the long and short circuits at Fiorano. His fastest time around the former was a 1min 01.717secs, half a second quicker than he had managed on Monday.

Rubens Barrichello joined his team-mate for the pre-Hockenheim test, albeit at a distance. The Brazilian ran at Mugello in the Tuscan hills, completing 56 laps in the process of working on set-up and balance for Hockenheim. After the disappointment of Austria, where he finished a distant third, Barrichello claimed to have been happy with the progress he made in testing, recording a best lap of 1min 27.353secs.

Ferrari was joined at the circuit by neighbours Minardi, which ran both Marc Gene and newly-appointed test driver Giorgio Vinella in a single MO2 chassis. The Faenza team progressed through a series of low downforce set-ups during the afternoon, with Vinella spending much of his time getting used to the circuit. Gene consequently set the best time of the pair, in 1min 30.882secs, running in the cooler early evening air.

Leading performances (18 July):

Fiorano

Luca Badoer Ferrari-Ferrari 1min 01.717secs 139 laps

Mugello

Rubens Barrichello Ferrari-Ferrari 1min 27.353secs 56 laps
Marc Gene Minardi-Fondmetal 1min 30.882secs 21 laps
Giorgio Vinella Minardi-Fondmetal no time