Fernando Alonso posted the fastest time on the first morning of testing at Barcelona's Catalunya circuit on a day when the talk in the paddock centred on events in Bahrain and the possibility the final round of testing could well be moved back to Spain. The teams meet tonight to discuss the situation.
The day started with the track wet from Thursday's rain, and also a distinct chill in the air, but as the surface dried the times grew appreciably quicker and more drivers ventured out. The session was ended prematurely when Rubens Barrichello parked and caused a red flag as his Williams was lifted back to base.
Alonso's first 15-lap foray was uneventful as Ferrari opted for constant-speed aero testing, but when he returned on slicks he straight away set the fastest time which had been held by Jenson Button. As has been the case at Valencia and Jerez, Alonso, who had removed the beard he sported in previous tests, was the reason many fans had turned up and his every move was scrutinised closely.
Button did several short stints, looked good on the drying track, and was the third fastest. Jamie Algersuari, the second fastest, nibbled away at Alonso's time late in the session but could not get within three-quarters of a second of him.
Vettel , who was fourth quickest, was greeted on his returns to the pits by crew who quickly threw covers over the back of the RB7 to prevent any snooping. Several of the bigger teams were far more secretive than in previous tests.
Michael Schumacher made a couple of fleeting appearances, posted the sixth fastest time and finished the morning with only ten laps under his belt.
Nick Heidfeld, in his first drive since being confirmed as Robert Kubica's replacement, completed 27 laps before handing over to Vitaly Petrov for the remainder of the day. Petrov was kept waiting, however, as the Renault suffered some minor mechanical glitches. It was supposed to be Petrov's day but the team wanted Heidfeld to carry out some pit-stop practices.
After missing Jerez, HRT returned but still with its 2010 car. The team will unveil its 2011 model in the final round of testing, wherever that might be.
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