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Circuit de Catalunya - Spain 19 February 2008

1 N. Rosberg Williams 01:30.675 73

2 K. Nakajima Williams 01:32.370 96

3 M. Webber Red Bull 01:32.599 26

4 F. Alonso Renault 01:32.820 16

5 D. Coulthard Red Bull 01:32.924 22

6 J. Trulli Toyota 01:33.283 57

7 N. Piquet jr. Renault 01:40.073 8

8 K. Kobayashi Toyota 00:00.000 1

Circuit de Catalunya - Spain 20 February 2008

1 F. Massa Ferrari 01:30.673 46

2 M. Webber Red Bull 01:31.213 43

3 L. Badoer Ferrari 01:31.288 33

4 D. Coulthard Red Bull 01:31.654 44

5 F. Alonso Renault 01:31.731 28

6 N. Rosberg Williams 01:31.963 97

7 T. Glock Toyota 01:32.407 33

8 J. Trulli Toyota 01:32.571 47

9 N. Hulkenberg Williams 01:33.102 13

10 K. Nakajima Williams 00:00.000 1

11 N. Piquet jr. Renault 00:00.000 1

Circuit de Catalunya - Spain 21 February 2008

1 K. Nakajima Williams 01:22.153 32

2 H. Kovalainen McLaren 01:22.185 64

3 P. de la Rosa McLaren 01:22.208 92

4 F. Massa Ferrari 01:22.213 95

5 N. Rosberg Williams 01:22.248 108

6 M. Webber Red Bull 01:22.477 81

7 D. Coulthard Red Bull 01:22.499 102

8 L. Badoer Ferrari 01:22.535 102

9 F. Alonso Renault 01:22.657 61

10 T. Glock Toyota 01:22.901 109

11 N. Piquet jr. Renault 01:23.286 104

12 K. Kobayashi Toyota 01:24.132 56

13 N. Hulkenberg Williams 01:24.222 59

DC: I wouldn't read anything into times.

David Coulthard has warned Red Bull Racing fans not to get too excited about the performances he and team-mate Mark Webber are producing in testing in Spain, claiming that this point of the season throws up many false dawns.

Webber continued Red Bull's promising start to the pre-season by topping the times on day two of the latest group test at Jerez, but Coulthard insisted that Australian fans, in particular, should not expect the team to be frontrunners when the championship opens for real at next month's Melbourne grand prix.

"I've done lots of testing over the years and some of those tests have been fantastic and some of them have been s**t," Coulthard told Australian press agency AAP, "I wouldn't read anything into it. I think that anyone who expects anything different than McLaren or Ferrari to be setting the pace at the beginning of the season would be extremely surprised."

What DC did appear positive about, however, was that Adrian Newey's RB4 appeared to be a lot more reliable than its predecessor. The RB3 struggled in particular with gearbox and other transmission woes, but DC was hopeful that, with a new four-race requirement for gearboxes starting in 2008, the team was on top of the problems.

"I think that's the main thing that we're able to speak of with certainty," he said, "The facts are the car is running more reliably, we don't have the gearbox issues that we've seen over the last couple of years. We're cranking out grand prix and three-quarters every day per car, [where] we were probably doing about 50 laps, so less than a grand prix, for most of the winter testing last year. That's just because the car's more reliable.

The veteran Scot said that, while he was discounting the possibility of being an outright frontrunner, he was hopeful that RBR could move itself up the field, even if the current packing order remains clouded by unusual performances from other teams.

"What's not clear for us at the moment is where we fit into that mix, with BMW and Toyota and Renault and all those guys," he revealed, "And it might not even be completely apparent in Melbourne because it's a particular track.

"But I think, by the time we're gotten through the first three grands prix - in Melbourne, Malaysia and Bahrain - we'll have a very clear picture of who are the pacesetters and what the pecking order is down the field."

"We go into the season - with seven test days left in Jerez and Barcelona before we go to Melbourne - and we know we're not the quickest, we know we're not the slowest and we know we're more reliable than last year. The unknowns are where do we sit in that mix."

Red Bull Racing photoshoot

Red Bull Racing photoshoot

Red Bull Racing photoshoot

Circuit de Catalunya - Spain 25 February 2008

1 L. Hamilton McLaren 01:22.276 78

2 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 01:22.319 82

3 M. Schumacher Ferrari 01:22.428 83

4 K. Nakajima Williams 01:22.724 54

5 H. Kovalainen McLaren 01:22.852 71

6 N. Rosberg Williams 01:22.974 108

7 F. Alonso Renault 01:23.021 79

8 N. Heidfeld BMW 01:23.075 75

9 M. Webber Red Bull 01:23.091 62

10 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 01:23.115 71

11 A. Sutil Force India F1 01:23.188 95

12 C. Klien BMW 01:23.239 43

13 V. Liuzzi Force India F1 01:23.270 70

14 N. Piquet jr. Renault 01:23.442 42

15 T. Glock Toyota 01:23.609 86

16 K. Kobayashi Toyota 01:23.880 29

17 R. Barrichello Honda 01:24.460 115

18 A. Wurz Honda 01:24.667 109

19 D. Coulthard Red Bull 01:24.826 25

Coulthard expects competitive season

David Coulthard has confirmed paddock speculation by agreeing that Red Bull is likely heading for a competitive season with the new Adrian Newey-penned RB4.

The Scottish veteran, who is sitting out Tuesday's testing at the Circuit de Catalunya with an apparent neck twinge, said he believes the Austrian-owned outfit will be among the fight just beneath big two competitors Ferrari and McLaren in 2008.

"I expect that we will be fighting against BMW Sauber and Williams," Coulthard told Motorsport Aktuell.

He explained that the Renault-powered RB4 should be a regular points-scorer this year, while the target in 'exceptional circumstances' could even be a maiden victory for the Milton-Keynes based outfit.

Meanwhile, Coulthard confirmed that qualifying is not his favourite part of a Grand Prix weekend.

"In my entire career, the race has always been my stronger quality," he admitted.

Injury puts Coulthard out of test

David Coulthard has pulled out of Red Bull's test session in Barcelona because of a neck injury.

The Scot, 36, tweaked a neck muscle on the first day of the final pre-season test and will be replaced in Tuesday's run by Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel.

Coulthard will undergo treatment in the hope he will be fit for the final day.

The team said Coulthard's injury is not serious but he does not want to aggravate it ahead of the season opener in Melbourne on 16 March.

Coulthard, who is entering his 15th season in Formula One, only managed 25 laps during Monday's test at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Testing was affected by wet weather in the morning session but the car also struggled with technical problems.

Coulthard's team-mate Mark Webber completed 71 laps with a best time of one minute 23.115 seconds, just over a second short of pacemaker McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.

Vettel is available to cover for Coulthard on Tuesday because Toro Rosso, Red Bull's sister team, are only running one new car in Barcelona.

Coulthard back behind the wheel

After a day of rest David Coulthard is back at work for Red Bull Racing. The Scotsman skipped Tuesday's testing session at Circuit de Catalunya as he suffered from a neck injury. Toro Rosso driver Sebastian Vettel replaced him.

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Wednesday is the final day of testing for most teams before they pack their bags and travel to Melbourne for the opening of the 2008 Formula 1 season. The Red Bull Racing team has said it is glad to see Coulthard return in the car.

Coulthard back in action at Barcelona

David Coulthard has returned to action for the final day of group pre-season testing at Barcelona in Spain today.

The Briton was forced to skip running on Tuesday after tweaking his neck during the first day of testing. The team felt it better he rested for 24 hours rather than risk aggravating the injury so soon before the Australian Grand Prix.

That meant Scuderia Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel was drafted in for the team for a day, to get his first taste of the RB4 car.

Coulthard, having received treatment on his neck and shoulder throughout Tuesday, felt in much better shape this morning and has decided to complete the test.

That decision was bad news for Red Bull Racing's test driver Sebastien Buemi, who had travelled to Barcelona just in case he was needed but will now have to watch from the sidelines.