Ferrari and Toro Rosso were the only two teams present at the Mugello circuit with the majority of other teams choosing to test at Jerez.
Two Italian drivers took to a wet and rainy track Luca Badoer in the Ferrai and Tonio Liuzzi in his Toro Rosso. Badoer was busy testing new electronic components for the 2008 seasons with Liuzzi working on improving the balance of the car, the evaluation of new brake materials, and some aerodynamics work.
Badoer s best time of the day was a 1:24.633 with Liuzzi putting in a time of 1:24.203.
Over at Jerez, seven teams were on-track on a dry and sunny day. Spyker and BMW Sauber were the two noticeable absentees Spyker have chosen not to test this week, whilst BMW skipped the first day of testing but will be in action on Wednesday. No racing drivers took to the track, leaving the test drivers to get a long run in the cars. Towards the end of the day, all teams turned off their traction control to simulate conditions for the 2008 season.
McLaren Mercedes once again showed their superiority with Pedro de la Rosa finishing top of the timesheets, a full second ahead of the Toyota of Frank Montagny. De la Rosa produced the only mini drama of the day, going off track and tapping the tyre barriers lightly before heading back onto the track. No red flags were shown during the session.
Swiss driver Sebastien Buemi had his first proper go in a Formula 1 car. The Swiss driver is replacing Michael Ammermuller at Red Bull Racing. Buemi completed 78 laps and finished at the bottom of the timesheets.
Unofficial Testing Times for Jerez Day One
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes 1:20.111 69
2. Montagny Toyota 1:21.136 73
3. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:21.424 103
4. Rossiter Super Aguri-Honda 1:21.683 92
5. Klien Honda 1:22.035 70
6. Piquet Renault 1:22.537 68
7. Buemi Red Bull-Renault 1:22.565 78
