21/02/2006
NEWS STORY
With BMW not scheduled to begin testing until tomorrow, Scuderia Toro Rosso had the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari to itself today.
Unfortunately, due to intermittent rain the track was never dry, which limited the Italian outfit's track-time.
"It was quite a useful day in a way," said Chief Engineer Laurent Mekies, "as Neel had never really handled an F1 car in the wet. He never made a mistake and drove on both the 'wet' and 'extreme wet' tyres and that will be a valuable experience for him if he encounters these conditions during the season."
With the wet hampering any meaningful development work, the team took the opportunity to rehearse various race weekend procedures, such as what to do from the moment pit lane opens 30 minutes before the race to the start of the grand prix.
Tomorrow should see another milestone, as it will be the team's first two car test with Tonio Liuzzi and Scott Speed both on track in an STR 1 each.
Today's Times - All Times Unofficial
| Name | Team | T | Laps | Time | Gap |
| Jani | Toro Rosso | M | 38 | 1:36.420 | 114.445 mph |
Note: Italics denote V10