After a break of almost three months, Ralf Schumacher today returned to work and immediately demonstrated that he has lost none of his pace.

The three-day Silverstone test got underway in typically British weather conditions, the Northamptonshire track battered by high winds and rain. Later the sun made a brief appearance and the track dried out, however there were a number of minor showers during the afternoon.

After a break of almost three months, the result of a horrific crash during the United States GP, in which he suffered concussion and two factures to his spine, Schumacher was finally back behind the wheel of FW26, which has lost its radical 'hammerhead' nose since he last drove it.

Clearly, the long recovery process has not affected the German's pace, for he ended the first day of testing topping the timesheets, over a second faster than his nearest rival.

Ralf was joined by Marc Gene, who replaced the German in the French and British Grands Prix. Both drivers concentrated on tyres in the morning and set-ups in the afternoon..

McLaren had Alexander Wurz and Pedro de la Rosa on duty, both drivers at the wheel of MP4-19Bs.

Anthony Davidson out-paced Jenson Button in the BAR, as the Brackley outfit attempts to consolidate its runner-up spot in the constructors' championship.

Renault, the subject of considerable speculation as to its driver line-up at present, had Fernando Alonso and Franck Montagny on duty. The Spaniard completed 60 laps, as the French outfit prepares for the forthcoming China GP, though his French teammate could only manage 20 laps.

Toyota had Olivier Panis and Ricardo Zonta on duty, while Jordan was represented by 'third driver' Timo Glock.

Times