Wednesday September 18th, 2002

The Ferrari team were joined by Minardi on the second day of work at the Mugello circuit, where three drivers were in action today.

Test drivers Luca Badoer and Luciano Burti continued working on a tyre and electronics programme for the World Champions, both men driving this year's F2002 chassis. Badoer was again the fastest of the two with a time of 1:22.159 over 22 laps, while Burti covered 43 laps and set a best time of 1:24.712.

Sergei Zlobin, who became the first Russian to drive a Formula One car earlier this month, returned to the wheel of the Minardi, posting a time of 1:35.678 after 45 laps.

“It is the first time I have tested at this circuit, and I soon realised how much harder it is to drive on the track surface here compared with that at Fiorano," said the Russian. " The tarmac there was slippery and low in grip, whereas here at Mugello, the grip level is much higher.

"The handling of the car is naturally much more physical in such conditions. I am very happy to have been able to test here, however, because I'm learning more about the car and how to control it in different conditions. It has been a positive day."

Ferrari will continue testing at Mugello tomorrow, when Badoer will be joined by Michael Schumacher, while Burti will be at Fiorano to shake down the cars which will be used at the United States Grand Prix.

Published at 17:22:28 GMT