Button fastest at Paul Ricard

BAR, Williams, Renault and Jaguar joined Toyota and McLaren at Paul Ricard on Wednesday, a total of nine drivers on track. BAR' Jenson Button set the best time of the day, 1:06.930, and racked up a heavy workload of 136 laps.

McLaren looked a little healthier up against close rivals: yesterday it was unsurprising to see David Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen ahead of the Toyotas but the pair kept on the pace today. Raikkonen was the quicker of the two, half a second behind Button, and Coulthard third quickest, two tenths off his teammate.

Team test driver Marc Gené was the sole Williams present, working on set up and tyres for the San Marino Grand Prix and was fourth fastest. Renault had Fernando Alonso and tester Franck Montagny on duty, fifth and sixth on the time sheet respectively. Alonso worked on aerodynamics and set up and he and Montagny, who got his first taste of the R24 chassis, both ran engine specifications.

Mark Webber set the seventh fastest time of the day for Jaguar, working on aerodynamics and tyres, and Toyota's Cristiano da Matta and tester Ricardo Zonta rounded off the times in eighth and ninth. At Silverstone, Jordan continued its test with Nick Heidfeld and Giorgio Pantano behind the wheel.

Ferrari ran dual test programmes, Rubens Barrichello on track at Fiorano and Andrea Bertolini at the Vairano straight. Barrichello worked on new components and tyres, completing 118 laps with a best time of 56.838. Bertolini focused on aerodynamics, covering 314km.