Brits on Pole

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Renault’s ailing Nelson A Piquet has shown what a dose of confidence could do for his performance after clocking the fastest time of the recent Barcelona testing stint and ending a dominant Ferrari run.

Ferrari dominated the timesheets on the second day of Barcelona testing with veteran McLaren pilot Pedro de la Rosa only able to get within four-tenths of a second of his team’s main rival.

Ferrari tester Luca Badoer topped the timesheet on the first day of Barcelona testing - but didn’t have things entirely his own way. On an opening day that featured unpredictable weather, starting sunny then gradually clouding over until a thunderstorm forced the eight teams testing to abandon the track an hour earlier than expected, BMW’s Robert Kubica and Red Bull’s David Coulthard pushed him a close second and third.

For most of us it’s very difficult to imagine what it must have felt like to be in Heikki Kovalainen’s McLaren when it hit the barriers at the Circuit de Catalunya at 150 miles per hour. But one or two of his F1 colleagues have been on hand to explain - and to recall being in similar crashes.

Looking at our search results for yesterday and today, it’s clear that lots of people are turning up at the site because they are hunting down video of Kovalainen’s Barcelona crash.

It was far from being the most dramatic moment of the Spanish Grand Prix. But the collision between Red Bull’s David Coulthard and Timo Glock around Lap 54 provoked a stewards’ inquiry after the Toyota rookie appeared to shunt the veteran Scot from behind on an ill-advised overtaking manoeuvre.

There’s only one show in town at the Circuit de Catalunya today and that’s Fernando Alonso. The stands are lined with blue and yellow flags, representing his home region of Asturias, and the fans don’t give a damn that Renault has changed its livery. The stands opposite his garage are groaning with eager supporters hoping to get a glimpse of their hero…

Fernando Alonso made a bold bid for pole in the Spanish Grand Prix in front of his home fans - only to see defending world champion Kimi Raikkonen snatch the prize away in the dying moments of qualifying.

The first race of the GP2 season is due to take place at the Circuit de Catalunya tomorrow - and you’ll be able to watch it on UK television.

A surprise performance boost by Renault that managed to split the Ferraris in second practice may spell an interesting Grand Prix on Sunday. BMW are also looking strong on a day that saw McLaren performing roughly as expected during the first session but falling way down the field in the second.