Jerez Day 1 – Toyota 5th and 6th fastest

By Nick Sparkes
February 7 2006

Panasonic Toyota Racing began their week at Jerez in Spain tyre testing with Ricardo Zonta and Olivier Panis. Alex Wurz gave himself a dream debut in the new Williams Cosworth by going fastest, closely followed by Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello in their Honda’s.

Behind Wurz and the two Honda’s came Nico Rosberg in the second Williams concentrating on a new gearbox and tyre testing for Bridgestone.

Zonta and Panis were also running a Bridgestone programme in an effort to bring their tyre manufacture back to the front of the grid. At the tail of the field where Christijan Albers and Tiago Monteiro, Albers running in the teams 2006 racer and promptly finished ahead of his teammate Monteiro who drove last years machine.

1	A. Wurz	Williams		01:18.144	48
2	J. Button	Honda		01:18.250	88
3	R. Barrichello	Honda		01:18.626	112
4	N. Rosberg	Williams		01:18.735	84
5	R. Zonta	Toyota		01:20.162	85
6	O. Panis	Toyota		01:20.339	79
7	C. Albers	Midland F1		01:21.551	74
8	T. Monteiro	Midland F1		01:22.318	71