Loeb gets another crack at F1 car

The first test of the winter got underway today in Spain and, at the wheel of the Red Bull RB4, as part of a "thank you" from Red Bull for winning the World Rally Championship yet again, was Sebastien Loeb. Having had a shakedown at Silverstone last week, the Frenchman had a better idea of what to expect and produced an excellent performance throughout the day.

After spending most of the morning settling in and finding a good balance on the car, Loeb was actually put to more "serious" use in the afternoon, evaluating the Bridgestone slick tires that will be used in 2009 and providing the team with valuable data.

"I don’t think I’d like to take this much horsepower into the forests!" quipped the Frenchman. "It was a great experience and I had fun, although I have to say that driving one of these cars is tougher physically than driving my rally car. Towards the end of the day, I began to get a good feel for the car and enjoyed the sensation of it moving around on the track. I have to say that the level of grip in the high speed corners is very impressive.

Fastest Lap: T. Sato 1:20.763, compared to Loeb's 1:22.503.