Kimi Raikkonen made a dramatic return to work today, back in the cockpit for the first time since Interlagos, where he finished second.

Having dominated the timesheets for the first two days of testing, it was only fitting that Raikkonen continued the 'tradition', out-pacing his nearest rival, Jarno Trulli, by 0.161s.

Following yesterday's fog, which held up proceedings for a couple of hours, seriously reducing track time, today's session got underway in bright sunshine, with temperatures reaching 17 degrees C.

Raikkonen was joined by Alexander Wurz as the Woking duo concentrated on tyre testing. The Finn completed 97 laps while his Austrian teammate completed 80.

Hot on Raikkonen's heels was the Toyota duo of Trulli and Ralf Schumacher, who completed 151 trouble-free laps.

Mark Webber brought his Formula One programme for 2004 to an end by finishing fourth quickest, though Nick Heidfeld gave him a good run for his money. Webber, driving the interim FW26B, continued with set-up work including a number of practice starts in anticipation of the proposed regulation changes for 2005. Unfortunately, the Australian lost some track time in the afternoon as a result of an engine change.

Heidfeld continued to familiarise himself with the car, working mainly on set-ups. He also carried out a number of long runs as he evaluated tyres for Michelin. Nick continues testing continues tomorrow, when he is understood to be taking part in a 'shoot out' style evaluation alongside Antonio Pizzonia.

Although the Grove outfit was scheduled to end its test tomorrow, it has been decided to extend the test for an extra day.

Franck Montagny was the busiest man today, the Frenchman completing 150 laps. The Renault tester was joined by Giancarlo Fisichella, as the French team focussed on tyre evaluations. Although the Italian only completed 20 laps, as a result of mechanical problems, his best time was only 0.122s off his French teammate's.

"Franck did a great job today," said Christian Silk, the team's chief test engineer, "he concentrated on long runs with the tyres, and completed a substantial programme. We learned a lot about the tyre behaviour, and development is progressing well.

"On the other side of the garage," he added, "Giancarlo only completed a small number of laps owing to several mechanical difficulties. However, during the laps he did complete, he found the car to be well-balanced and his times were competitive."

Once again, David Coulthard out-paced Red Bull hopefuls, Christian Klien and Vitantonio Liuzzi, as the battle to secure a drive with the Austrian outfit continues. Although the team continues here tomorrow, with Swiss youngster Neel Jani scheduled to drive, Coulthard has opted to head home. Thing is, is that a good or a bad sign?

Jenson Button continued with the 'concept car', while Anthony Davidson and Enrique Bernoldi continued with the 006. Button completed 101 laps on his way to posting the tenth best time of the day, while his teammates were both over 2.2s off the pace.

Rubens Barrichello was another driver returning to work for the first time since Brazil. The Ferrari star joined Luca Badoer, both men continuing with the development of Bridgestone tyres and new components.

The Italian team's 2004 programme ends tomorrow, with Barrichello scheduled to be its sole representative.

Times