David Coulthard turned a few heads on Thursday by setting a new unofficial lap record as the four day Barcelona test drew to a close.
The Red Bull driver, whose ‘RB3’ was equipped with a new seamless shift gearbox that also impressed in the hands of Mark Webber earlier this week, narrowly went quicker than Kimi Raikkonen’s Monday benchmark after Ferrari dominated the majority of the test.
It must be noted, however, that Scottish veteran Coulthard’s fast time was achieved on a qualifying simulation run, and also before midday when the skies above Circuit de Catalunya opened and ensured that none of his rivals could trouble his apparent pace.
Meanwhile, aboard the heavily revised ‘F2007’ Ferrari, Brazil’s Felipe Massa had a limited programme due to the rain and a hydraulic problem in the morning, when it was mostly dry.
Teams packed up early at the end of the day when the track stayed wet.
Red Bull’s chief test engineer Ian Morgan said: “It’s always good to produce quick lap times and to be fastest, but let’s wait and see how the situation evolves when we come back here for the race.”
The Spanish GP takes place next weekend.
