Felipe Massa was the fastest driver on the track on the first day of testing at the Cheste circuit, just outside Valencia. The Brazilian drove the fastest lap in the last minutes of the session, while he had been leading the time sheet with his lap times before.

The 1.12.574 taken by Massa for his fastest lap can’t be judged in absolute terms regarding the competitors, because this year, understanding the fuel loads in the cars, is more difficult than ever, although it has to be said that this result is a good prelude for the F10 on the day of its debut.

"I’m happy about how it went,” Felipe said at the end of the test session. “We worked very well and drove many kilometres without any problems. The first impression of the car is really positive: it is easier to drive compared to the F60, we can work better on the set up and last but not least there’s much more grip, which makes it much more pleasant to drive. Naturally it’s still very early, but it’s a good start.”

“The fastest lap? That doesn’t mean anything, but it’s always good being in the lead! I’m also satisfied with myself. It’s great being back on the track, together with all the others and to see that nothing has changed. I drove over 100 laps and I could have done another 100 from the physical and mental point of view.”

The day’s main technical issues - the new tyres and the cars’ behaviour with lots of petrol on board....

"I tried the soft compound a lot and I really liked it, but it’s really too early to draw a conclusion: we have to wait and see how it works with higher temperatures to see the wear. We also drove with different fuel loads and the car was very balanced under all conditions; that’s encouraging!"

Today there is an “encore” on the same stage.