Jordan Grand Prix began a two car test at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya today with Narain Karthikeyan and Tiago Monteiro driving. In his Jordan Toyota EJ15 Karthikeyan completed 80 laps and set a time of 1:19.09, just 2.5 seconds off the pace of Michael Schumacher who was the fastest Bridgestone driver. Monteiro added 86 laps to the test mileage in a development EJ14 chassis.

Narain Karthikeyan: "I did 80 laps today which is the most I ever did in one day in a Formula 1 car. It was pretty exciting. But I also understand that I have to learn very much in a very short time. And I am prepared for it."

Tiago Monteiro: "Learning to understanding the software of the car is fascinating. It is an intellectual task that is very underestimated. Racing is more than to push the gas pedal to the very end – it is brain, guts and the right feeling for what chances to take."

Trevor Carlin: "It was the first day of our full test programme and we did very well. Narain did 80 laps in the EJ15 while Tiago worked on some software. In the next couple of days we want to do as many miles as possible to better understand the interaction of chassis, Toyota engine and Bridgestone tyres. Obviously we have a lot of work still ahead but I am very confident that we will improve dramatically and find ourselves in the position were we want to be on the Melbourne grid."

Today's Times