Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen set the pace on the first day of testing at Barcelona today.

The Finn, who is joint leader of the World Championship along with Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton completed 97 laps on his way to posting a best time of 1:21.194.

The programme for the Maranello outfit included development testing of new aerodynamic components and research into the best set-up for the car for the forthcoming Spanish Grand Prix, which takes place here on 13th May.

Second quickest, and sure to cause consternation at both ends of the pitlane was Takuma Sato in the Super Aguri.

The Japanese driver commenced the testing of a gearbox upgrade and a number of new aero elements. The ideal track and weather conditions meant that the team was able to complete the analysis of a number of aero iterations in the morning.

Although a blustery wind picked up in the afternoon, the team observed good reliability from the new parts and was able to gather significant data, ending the days running having completed a total of 98 laps.

Sato will continue to drive tomorrow, with Anthony Davidson scheduled to drive on the final day.

Even though the British media's darling, Lewis Hamilton, wasn't on duty, McLaren still managed to be the centre of attention, courtesy of an intriguing new front wing, part of which rises over the nose of the MP4-22. The wing made its debut during last week's two day test at Menorca, along with a number of other new aero components, some of which were in use today. In addition to the aero components, the team worked on set-ups, and cooling and systems reliability.

Pedro de la Rosa, completed 101 laps, finishing 0.712s off the pace. Tomorrow he hands over to Fernando Alonso.