Ferrari start fast at winter test

Nov 29, 2006, 19:36 GMT

Barcelona, Spain - The post 'Michael Schumacher era' began well for Ferrari as Felipe Massa led all drivers in opening day testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.

Massa and test driver Luca Badoer finished first and third, respectively. Meanwhile, new Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen, Schumacher's replacement, will not begin testing the new 248 F1 until January.

Other teams at the test included McLaren, BMW-Sauber, Honda, Williams and Renault.

Tire characteristics and performance was the main theme of the day as all teams will use only Bridgestone tires in 2007. Michelin, the other tire manufacturer in 2006 will not be involved in F1 racing next year.

'This was a good first day back at work for the team and the drivers,' reported Renault's chief test engineer Christian Silk. 'We primarily focused on learning about the new Bridgestone tires, going about the work in our usual methodical way without worrying about topping the timesheets. It is always important to learn and understand how we need to work with a new partner. We began that process today.'

Toyota is expected to join the list of teams testing on Wednesday.

© 2006 The Sports Network