Highlights

Coulthard fastest on final day of Barcelona test

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-05-08 09:06

David Coulthard revived Red Bull's spirits with the quickest lap on the final day of Formula One testing at the Circuit de Catalunya before next week's Spanish Grand Prix.

The Renault-powered team have yet to score a point in three races this season with the Adrian Newey-designed RB3 but hope to be more competitive now that the championship has returned to Europe.

Briton Coulthard lapped in 1:21.066 on Thursday, albeit on low fuel, with McLaren's Spanish test driver Pedro de la Rosa second in 1:21.267 and Ferrari's Felipe Massa third fastest on a final day interrupted by morning showers and a heavy downpour in the afternoon.

Ferrari had topped the timesheets on the previous three days at the reconfigured circuit, with Kimi Raikkonen in action on Monday and Tuesday and Massa taking over on Wednesday.

The Brazilian missed out on much of the dry spell due to a technical problem, completing just 38 laps.

Australian Mark Webber had been second fastest for Red Bull on Wednesday and was confident the team were moving in the right direction.

"Conditions are always different from the tests to the races, but we seem to have some speed," he told the Autosport Web site (www.autosport.com). "We are definitely moving in the right direction."

Honda, also yet to score a point in a deeply disappointing start to the season after Jenson Button's breakthrough win in Hungary last year, also reported some progress from their four days in Spain.

"I am happier after this test and we seem to have found some results in the right direction, so I hope we can make a small step forward at the next race," said Brazilian Rubens Barrichello in a team statement.

Honda's Austrian test driver Christian Klien was still the slowest of the seven drivers on track on Thursday, however.

"The braking is definitely better now and the lap times have improved and become more consistent, but there is still a long way to go to bring the team back into contention," said engineering director Jacky Eeckelaert.

McLaren lead Ferrari by five points in the constructors' championship, while Spain's double world champion Fernando Alonso, Raikkonen and McLaren's British rookie Lewis Hamilton are all tied on 22 points