Renault test driver Nelson Piquet (pictured) set the pace on the second day of testing at Silverstone, where 11 drivers, representing 6 teams, were on duty. Overcast skies in the morning gave way to sunshine in the late afternoon.

The Brazilian's second day with the Renault team saw him continue his acclimatization to both the team and the R26. Although his morning endurance work was delayed by mechanical problems, he conducted tyre and set-up development this afternoon as he learned more about the car, and began to fine-tune its handling.

Meanwhile, Heikki Kovalainen continued his tyre development work, narrowing down the tyre selection for the forthcoming Japanese Grand Prix. He completed a trouble-free day, completing 119 laps and setting the second-fastest time.

"We had a very good day," said the Finn, "we focused on the tyre testing and making the right selection for Suzuka. The tyres were quick on the first lap and consistent on the longer runs we did this morning. We had good reliability, doing more than two race distances, so it was a very positive day."

"This was another day of learning and improving for me," added Piquet. "The more laps I do, the better things are getting and I feel like I am improving with every run. We did a good variety of long runs and shorter runs today, and the car felt really good as we started making some set-up changes. I am looking forward to another strong day tomorrow."

"The team had another good day, completing nearly 200 laps, in spite of some delays this morning," said Christian Silk. "Heikki continued working on the Suzuka tyres with Michelin, and the results are very encouraging. As for Nelson, he did some endurance running this morning before running a tyre and set-up programme in the afternoon, which allowed him to tune the car and start giving us some feedback. His performance was encouraging and, all in all, it has been a positive day for the team."

Second quickest was Pedro de la Rosa, however, it was his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, who was the centre of media attention.

While the Spaniard focussed on tyre work for the Japanese Grand Prix, with additional set-up programmes for China and Japan alongside the tyre evaluation, the English youngster continued to focus on the familiarisation programme of the MP4-21 and the testing process.

"I am really pleased to have made my full test debut with McLaren," said Hamilton, who ended the day sixth fastest. "It has been a positive session, working through more systems checks with the car during the day, with my focus on this rather than going for times.

"It is a steep learning curve," he admitted, "and as a result I am making sure I get the most out of my time with the test team and the engineers. It was great to be able to stretch the legs of the MP4-21 round Silverstone, the car is fantastic to drive, even more so as I am doing longer runs than yesterday and you can actually start to build up a proper rhythm."

Toyota took advantage of the somewhat decent Silverstone weather to work on tyre comparisons for the overseas races. Franck Montagny filled in for Ricardo Zonta, who was not feeling well, as Ralf Schumacher had a problematic day as he began his set-up preparations for the final Grands Prix.